LEGEND
by satta
Summary: Linda, daughter of Toby and niece of Sarah, finds "The Book" from the attic. Now, the Goblin King is back, and nothing will stop him from having his revenge on Sarah... Completed, with an epilogue
1. Homecoming

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

Two (late) announcements:

1) Do not get fooled by the OC beginning. Sarah and Jareth are the crux of the story.  
2) As a non-English speaker, forgive me possible mistakes. Proper grammar isn't my strongest virtue. I hope the story as whole covers that fault...

06/2009: I did some modifications to the first chapters (1-6) in order to make the story a bit clearer. The actual story has not changed, I mostly added some flesh on bones. Other than that, the story is unchanged.

Enjoy!

LEGEND

**Homecoming**

Linda breathed in deep the crisp autumn air while looking at the old, tarnished wooden building. Ruefully, she smiled at the sight of dark eaves, filled with bright colored leaves, and the flawed windowsills. The house had remained the same as long as she could remember. She stood for a while in thought, looking at the old dark maple hovering next to the building that cast a tall shadow on her. A lone barn owl was sitting on the branch. It stared her with its gleaming blue eyes, and she shivered at the sight of it; the wind got stronger and nearly blew her over.

"Linda!" A shout pulled her back from her reverie, and before she knew it, her father had emerged from the house, jumped down from the porch and strode to her. He seized her in his arms. "Welcome home, Linda…" He kissed her forehead gently. "It's good to have you back! We've missed you."

She returned his embrace, closed her eyes and inhaled. He hugged her more tightly and, only when Linda started to squirm underneath his arms, released his hold. He took a step back, tilting his head.

"You look beautiful," Toby said, a tint of pride in his voice, and Linda returned his smile. His expression turned slightly somber as he examined her more closely, noticing the dark rings underneath her eyes. "And tired."

"I'm alright, dad," Linda said. "It was a long drive and the weather wasn't very good." She glanced over his broad shoulders, shifting her weight, and asked, "How's mom?"

He smiled. "Your mother's fine," he said reassuringly. "She's been complaining so much even I'm starting to think there's nothing wrong with her."

"She's stayed in the bed, though?" Linda inquired worriedly as she corrected the strap of her handbag on her shoulder.

"Hardly." Her dad laughed tiredly, picking up her luggage. "You know her…"

Linda rolled her eyes and smiled, following him inside. Just before she closed the door, she glanced at the dark trunk of the maple tree -- the owl was nowhere to be seen anymore. Her eyes narrowed; she shook her head, staring at the grey, cloud-filled sky before turning around and banging the door shut. The doorknocker swung, hitting on the tarnished brass nameplate: "WILLIAMS"

Linda let out a sigh. Dad had been right. Mom was nearly insufferable. She started complaining almost immediately after Linda had greeted her. She looked pale, but her dark eyes flickered as always as she inspected Linda with a steel-hard glare.

"You've lost weight," Jessica Williams stated with a tone she immediately recognized from her childhood. Linda sighed anew, sitting on the edge of her bed. Apparently, mothers would remain mothers forever despite their children grew up.

"Yes, mom." Softly, she agreed.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Just be careful you don't lose too much," she warned and grimaced.

"Does it hurt?" Linda asked, worried, but her mom just shook her head.

"It'll pass," she said through her teeth. "And it's nothing painkillers can't handle." Toby was there sooner than Linda could even anticipate, offering Jessica a glass of water and a round pill that seemed to shimmer in his hand.

"Really, she's doing a lot better," Toby said in a hushed voice to Linda when they finally retreated.

"Still…to see her like this," Linda murmured her eyes transfixed on the closed door. She lowered her face, staring at her feet. "I should have come earlier."

"What could you have done?" Toby asked, ruffling her hair gently. "I know you've been busy..." His eyes brightened. "Sarah called me and told me your role as Cassandra was a success. She sounded proud of you."

Linda blushed. "Aunt Sarah is too kind," she murmured still staring at the floor. "She just wants to please you."

Toby shook his head while taking her bag and starting to carry them up the stairs. "You should know that she never lies, at least to me." He smiled brightly. "After all, I'm her favourite brother."

"Dad," Linda let out a small laugh, her mood cheering, and followed him. The stairs wailed and creaked underneath their steps. "You're her only brother!"

"Therefore, and, undeniably, her favourite brother." He grinned, opening a door, and stepped inside. Linda followed, looking around in surprise realizing dad hadn't taken her to her room.

"I hope you don't mind about sleeping in one of the guest rooms?" Toby asked, lowering her luggage on the floor. "Your mom insists she wants to sleep alone because of her pains, but I don't really dare to leave her alone. Thus, I have occupied your old room…" he explained with a slightly guilty look on his face.

Linda shook her head. "No, it's okay," she reassured him. "I can as well sleep here." She walked pass him to the window and looked through, trying to place the room into her childhood memories. A dark trunk of maple greeted her sight, its branches nearly touching the surface of the window. She turned around. "I don't think I've slept here before," she finally said, noticing a human-sized mirror standing on the corner of the room.

Toby shrugged. "This used to be Sarah's room," he told. "And even when she left, no one wanted to have it…" He pondered for a while. "Now when I think about it, I think it hasn't been used for nearly ten years or so…"

"Really?" Linda asked surprised, walking toward the mirror. She bent closer, inspecting the wooden frame of the polished surface.

"I guess it had something to do with the fact that she and your grandmother didn't get along well," Toby said, looking at her with a smile. "Apparently Sarah didn't approve grandpa getting married again. She was angry at her biological mother, your godmother, a long time."

"I remember," Linda nodded absentmindedly, trailing her fingers along the wooden frame, and her lips twitched as she regarded her father's reflection the speculum mirrored. "You know, I'm happy they made amends. Otherwise, I wouldn't have the coolest name of all." Her smile turned in a bright grin.

"Yes, having as your namesake a renowned actress must have its benefits…" Toby replied in an amused voice.

"Precisely!" Linda exclaimed, chuckling softly. Her expression turned more somber. "But you were about to tell me Sarah and grandpa…"

"Oh yes…where was I…?" He puckered his brows, and Linda was suddenly reminded of his age as the deep burrow appeared his face, that her parents were turning old. Toby didn't notice her startled jolt, in deep contemplation. Then, suddenly, his face smoothed, the years disappeared, and he looked up at Linda. "Like I told you, Sarah didn't approve dad's and mom's marriage. And I can guess it didn't help when I was born; she became even more jealous."

Linda turned around, frowning. "I find that hard to believe," she exclaimed, biting her lip. Silently, she wondered should she mention to her dad the lack of roles his sister had obtained. It pained Linda to see how little people appeared to care about the older Ms. Williams. It wasn't fair, she sometimes thought. Nothing had happened to Sarah's talents. On the contrary, Linda thought she possessed even more elegance and regality in her old age. Unfortunately, the producers didn't seem to share Linda's opinion. The rumor told that Sarah Williams hadn't got a decent cast nearly for a year now. _It wasn't fair..._ She deserved better! Ever since Linda's mother got sick, Sarah had been there for her. Sarah took Linda under her wings, introduced Linda to all her colleagues, helped her in the start of her career. Linda wished she could do something for Sarah.

She sighed, returning back to present and cast the thought away, deciding otherwise. Dad was worried already now. Linda didn't want to burden him more.

"She used to be the only child…" Toby said, shaking her out of her contemplations, and gave her a pointed look. Linda shifted her feet, frowning, and Toby grinned, then quicklye sobered. "I don't really remember it, but this is what your grandmother told."

Linda snorted. "Grandmother doesn't like Aunt Sarah even today."

Toby looked thoughtful. "You might be right," he confessed. "But anyway…I thought that you might prefer staying in her old room." He signaled around them. "Grandpa never found it in his heart to remodel the room. I think it's almost in the same condition as it was when Sarah lived here."

Linda grimaced, and, after seeing her expression, Toby started to laugh.

"I meant mostly about the furniture and the size. Grandma insisted to get the wall next to you torn down but grandpa never agreed to it."

"So, this mirror was Sarah's?" Linda asked, turning once again to look at the mirror. Something about it was enticing, almost familiar.

"I guess so," Toby said uncertainly. "To be honest, I don't really remember," he hesitated. "You want to sleep somewhere else?" He suddenly asked worried, and Linda spun around.

"No. I don't mind," Linda shook her head. "I rather like this room." She smiled. "And the most important thing is that I'm here with you."

Relieved, her father returned the smile, and before leaving, turned to look at her from the doorway. "It's nice to have you back, Linda."

"It's nice to be back, dad."

o O o

The darkness arrived faster than anticipated and swarmed in the corners of the room. Linda had lit the lights, but they barely kept the shadows at bay. The wind was blowing harder, she could hear it whirling in through the holes and ventilation pipes of the house; the branches of the nearby tree tapped on the window. She glanced up, standing next to the bed. She had unpacked her belongings, placed her books on the small night table next to the bed and tried to decide whether to open her computer or leave it until tomorrow.

She yawned, deciding against the earlier and placed the laptop on the table. She could hear her father moving downstairs and sighed.

"I should have come earlier," she muttered another time, sitting on the bed. It creaked beneath her. She grimaced and lifted her face up, once again staring at the mirror in the corner. There was something about it that unsettled her. She chewed her lips, her gaze transfixed on the item. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of a shadow the mirror reflected flickering behind her. She spun around to see no one there.

Nervous, Linda stood up. She walked next to the mirror and, hesitating, stared at her reflection. She placed her hand on the smooth surface. It felt cold. She pressed her forehead against the mirror and closed her eyes, listening to the wind. It sounded like crying.

"_Give me the child…"_

"_Wait! Look what I'm offering…"_

"…_no power over me."_

She jolted and stepped back, wondering how long had already transpired. Her skin had goose bumps and her head pounded. She munched on her bottom lip while staring at her reflection. Whatever she had thought she saw there earlier didn't return.


	2. Labyrinth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

LEGEND

**Labyrinth**

She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling and listened.

The maple kept on tapping the window. Shadows vibrated and, waiting, they lingered near and kept her awake. She heard the boards of the old house wailing and creaking, and tossed on her side, eyes transfixed on the wedge of moonlight reflected on the floor.

She sighed and forced her eyes shut; but flung them open after she heard a loud bang. She lay still, listening, and grunted after the sound echoed through the house for a second time. It came from upstairs, from the attic.

_Clang! Clang!_

Linda frowned, pushing the blankets away. Doubting that her father would hear the sound downstairs, she got up, sighing. She pulled on an old college shirt, walked to the door and stepped into the hall.

The house felt eerie. Linda could hear the ticking of the clock and blinked her eyes, trying to adjust to the dark before she took a step forward. The shadows followed her, swirled in her steps as she made her way through the corridor, toward the attic.

_Clang._

Linda opened the door. The darkness was impenetrable. She barely discerned the first steps leading up. As she tried to turn the switcher it rewarded her with a mere 'click'. The stairs remained dark.

Linda snorted, "Typical."

She fumbled as she proceeded up, and finally, reaching the end of the stairs, felt the doorframes. She trailed her fingers to the handle. Her fingers grasped around the metal and turning the handle; she opened the door and stepped inside.

The moonlight poured through the windows, coloring the space crowded with lost treasures of her past. Linda was somewhat relieved as she found out she didn't need light to see around; the moon revealed enough. She took a hesitant step, listening.

_Clang!_

The roof hatch had opened again. Apparently dad hadn't fixed it, despite the fact that he was supposed to do that years ago. Mom used to complain about it; especially after the incident in the attic, when she ran into a bird. Based on her words, the animal had sat on the top of a cardboard box, and when she approached, tried to attack her. She had nearly fainted in fright.

Linda shivered. The shades of the memories of her childhood emerged anew from the musty, shabby scent of her past; their ghost-like whispers escorted her way. Carefully, avoiding hitting her head she made her way towards the end of the attic -- the ceiling sloped lower, and when she reached the hatch, she was nearly forced to bend double. In the dusk, she perceived the painted hatch of the window frame. The hatch hung half loose, the rusty lock dyeing the worn-out paint of the frames. It took longer than she desired to get it closed. When she turned around, the moon had retreated and left her in darkness.

Linda took a hesitant step forward. Her feet hit one of the cardboard boxes lying next to her. She let out a hoarse gasp, loosing her balance. Linda fell down -- straight on top of the same box she had stumbled on. The box gave away underneath her weight, softening her fall. She stayed still for some time, before, leaning on her arms, she sat up. She chafed her head thankful she had not hit herself worse, although the box hadn't been as lucky as she. Most of its contents were dispersed on the floor.

Looking around, afraid her parents might have awoken to the noise, she remained inert and listened. She heard nothing and let out a relieved sigh. As she got on her feet, the moon escaped the clouds; the same eerie light illuminated the room again.

Linda cursed anew after seeing the sight. The whole contents of the box lay in front of her; old stuffed animals, games, dolls and books. She kneeled and tried to amend the mess she had created but gave up, realizing there simply was not enough light to perform the task.

Resigned, she placed some of the toys together, deciding to return to fix her achievements in the morning. It was then she noticed the book. She nearly missed its old, dark and tattered cover. But the letters on it gleamed bright like gold. Bespelled, she reached out and took it in her hand.

"Labyrinth…" Linda murmured, frowning. Something in the name felt familiar. At the moment she heard the clock bell echoing downstairs.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

Shuddering, Linda got up. She dusted her clothes, still clutching the book tightly in her hands. The bells echoing in her ears, she retreated from the attic, her fingers curled around her newly found treasure.

o O o

Her father looked surprised when walking into kitchen he was greeted by the sight of Linda. She sat in front of the table and fingered the pages of the book.

"You're up early," Toby placed a kiss on the top of her hair.

"I didn't feel like sleeping," Linda muttered and looked up. "Dad?"

"Yes, dear?" He sat on the chair.

"Can you tell me about this?" She waved the book in her hands, and Toby took it.

"I can't say I remember." He shook his head, returning the book. "Where did you get it?"

"From the attic."

"Attic?" Toby repeated, perplexed, creasing his brows. "Why on Earth did you go there?"

"The roof hatch was open – again," Linda explained while giving a small shrug. She grasped on the coffee mug and took a sip of the steaming drink, glancing at her dad slightly sheepishly. "I accidentally broke one of the cardboard boxes when I closed it. I found the book there," she confessed and added hurriedly. "I already cleaned everything."

Toby looked still thoughtful, inspecting her with his browns together. "So, what's it?" he finally asked.

"Some sort of play," Linda said, eyeing the book. "It's called Labyrinth."

Toby shook his head slowly though his gesture had some hesitation in it. "Must be Sarah's. She was interested in acting already in her teens, like you. You better ask her about it."

Linda shook her head. "Nah," she said. "It's not that it would be that important, well not just yet at least…"

Toby gave her a sly look. "You're planning to use it?"

Linda shifted her weight. "We should find a new performance for the next summer, and our director mentioned he was thinking of directing kids' play. It would be nice to do something different this time…"

"What's wrong with Peter Pan?"

Linda snickered. "I have grown rather tired with boys who do not want to grow up and playing a mother to them."

"There are other female roles too," he said, laughing. "Maybe you could play Tinkerbell this time."

"As if!" Linda smacked him on the arm. "God forbids; never! I have no desire to be a self-possessed fairy. Besides, I think I might be rather too big for a fairy…"

"It seems you and Sarah share more than just a career; she dislikes the fairies too," Toby said.

Linda shook her head. "She even detests Puck," she said. "And I'm not ready to go that far with my dislike – Puck is cool."

She eyed the book. "But you're right. Maybe I should ask her about the play…"

The moment Jessica woke up, Linda forgot all about the Labyrinth. Mom was having a better day today. She even joked a little, and the sour look on her face had nearly vanished.

Linda spent a long time in her room, telling about her life and her friends. Jessica listened to her a small smile on her lips. But when Linda mentioned about the party Aunt Sarah took her to just before she left, she frowned.

"She's taking a good care of you," Jessica muttered a hint of jealousy in her voice, and Linda smiled.

"Not as good as you," she told her, placing a kiss on her mother's forehead. "No one can beat you, mom." It pained her to see how weak she had turned. Mom used to be so strong. Linda remembered joking once that dad picked a woman just like his own mother as his wife. There remained little of that woman anymore. She looked only hard-edged, thin...sapped.

Jessica's eyelids started to droop and she sighed. Linda felt tears welling in her eyes. She forced them shut, inhaling deep her mother's scent.

"I'll be leaving you alone, mom," Linda said at last. "You need to sleep."

Jessica blinked her eyes, too tired to argue against her, but when Linda stood up, her hand rose and grasped onto Linda's. She smiled wearily; and said, "I'm happy you decided to come home." She squeezed her hand. "I have missed you, my love..."

"I'm happy to be home," Linda told her and, caressing her dark hair, forced her tears to the back of her mind. "I love you, mom."

o O o

Restless and worried, unable to banish her worry, Linda found herself pacing nervously in her room. Finally, tired with the thoughts running through her head in a vicious circle, Linda decided to go for a jog. Putting on her mp3-player and her sneakers, she left the house.

Running so fast her breathing turned ragged, she passed the houses and green trees. After some time the rhythm of her steps cleansed her mind; she relaxed, and remembered again the play she read in the morning.

It was a good story, Linda realized while advancing through the empty streets toward the park where she used to play as a child. Frank would most definitely like it; the story seemed to be what he had been looked for. Linda, herself, didn't know whether she was that enchanted by a monster king who abducted children. Something about it made her unease.

Linda hadn't slept well. She was worried of her mother, true. But her worry didn't explain the odd dreams that had kept her half awake. They mixed together with the unfamiliar shapes of her room. In her dreams she saw a red-haired beast standing in the mirror, wailing desperately like it was longing for her. She dreamt a white owl flew through the window and into the mirror, driving the beast away.

Her eyes narrowed, as the images returned in her mind.

The bird had turned into a man. He stood in silence in the mirror, looking at her before spinning around. His cape fluctuated like it was dragged by wind; and he walked deeper in the depths of the mirror, disappearing from her sight.

Linda shivered through the sweat that was forming on her forehead, speeding up her steps. But her dreams followed her persistently; and whispered.  
_  
"Run little runner, run; but you cannot outrun us anymore…"_


	3. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

LEGEND

**Mirror, Mirror on the Wall**

The twilight was falling, the leaves rustled as she passed them, stirred by growing wind. The moment she arrived at the yard, a loud bang echoed throughout the land. The dark clouds were hauled apart. Letting out a small scream, she escaped the pouring rain underneath the tegmen. Linda stretched for a time, watching the ground getting muddy, and shivered as the wind bore through her. She sighed and turned to step inside.

Hearing the door, dad came out to meet her. "You're hungry already?" he asked, but Linda just shook her head.

"I need a bath before food," She smiled, wiping her face on her sleeves. "What's for dinner?"

"I'm making lasagne."

"My favorite! You're the best!" Linda sprinted to him and smacked a kiss on his cheek.

He chuckled, pleased by her words. "That's nice to hear, dear," Toby said. "Take your time; I'll take care of the food."

The shower relaxed and warmed her chilled body. She sighed in pleasure, and winced. Despite her previous stretching, her muscles remained sore, and she let the water flow over her before finally stepping out. While Linda dressed up, she stared at her reflection and sighed. Mom had been right; she had lost weight. Linda frowned at the image.

"You should learn to act on your own," she said. "You look awful."

The reflection frowned back. She glanced at her toes and pink-colored painted nails before turning her back on the reflection.

Linda ate in silence with Toby. Apparently mom's condition had turned worse, and dad retreated soon to see her. He left Linda in the living room, shaking his head in denial after Linda inquired, worried, should she follow him.

"Mom's never on a good mood when in pains," he said. "Better you wait until tomorrow."

Linda stayed on the couch and stared at the TV without actually paying any attention to the show. She chewed her lip, occasionally glancing at the direction of her parents' bedroom. The bluish light of the TV tinted the room, flickered on walls and couches. The sound of the news made her wary. She heard the rain falling on the windows. Her gaze trailed around the room, noticing the small details that had changed during her absence. It was when she spotted the little book laying on the table.

Linda tuned down the TV and started to skim through the pages. Maybe the play would take her thoughts away from her mother?

"Through hardships unnumbered I have found my way here to the castle beyond Goblin City…" she murmured, and her forehead furrowed. Something was nagging inside her. Her stare trailed toward the upstairs, and she stood up.

"Dad, mom." Linda knocked on the door. "I'll be going to my room. Just shout if you need me!"

She was rewarded by a muffled sound.

Her room remained in order she had left it but she had an odd feeling her belongings had moved during the time of her absence. She trailed her hands on her computer, wondering if father had cleaned up places and snooped around. She shrugged at her mirror image. It was unlikely; she was just being skittish. A booming echo rattled the windows. Hesitating, she turned her back to the mirror and jumped on the bed. The springs wailed underneath her, and once more she started skimming through the paragraphs.

"But no one knew that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl…" she muttered, turning on her back and placed the book on her side. Despite she tried to remain skeptic, the story was coming alive. She grimaced. It was not good. She was already being swept away by it, imagining herself as the heroine. "Stupid!" she hissed. She didn't even know if Frank would actually like the story.

For some reason the magical labyrinth crowded with different species, goblins, fairies -- and their King, felt entitling. Linda wondered what he would be like. She imagined a tall, blond man standing in front of her, towering over her and offering her a crystal. She could almost hear the man speaking.

_"Say your right words…"_

Linda shook the image out of her mind, annoyed, and rolled on her stomach. Maybe she had heard the play as a child? It might explain why the story felt so familiar. She glanced at her laptop. She should have asked it from Sarah when she wrote her email.

She grasped the book again and read the part where Evelyn wished away her child. The words didn't make any sense. Linda quoted the lines, "Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you are…" and shook her head in dislike. "This is pure crap," Linda said absentmindedly, staring at the rain stained window. "No one in his right mind would even obey such words!" She realized; and besides, they didn't work. The script needed to be amended, it was as clear as that. Frank would agree. Her eyes narrowed. She would have kept it simple, like… I wish… Yes, it felt a lot better.

A loud bang shivered the whole house. Linda licked her parched lips and looked around, staring at creeping shadows. They reminded her about the nightmares of her childhood -- of all those monstrous forms she imagined lurking beneath her furniture and in the corners. At some point of time, Linda suddenly remembered, she even insisted on sleeping her lights on. And a goblin sounded precisely like something that would hide beneath bed and run through the floor as soon as an eye avoided.

Had she truly been such a coward? Ashamed, she quickly banished the childish thoughts and returned her attention back to the play.

"I wish…" She tried and thought for while. "I wish…goblins would snatch you…?" Linda shook her head

"…the Goblin King to take you?" She snorted in annoyance.

"I wish…I wish…the goblins… would take you away…" Linda reached for a pen, triumphant, and wrote the line down, careful not to ruin the yellowish page. She chewed her bottom lip, staring at the phrase. It still needed something more… Her pen hovered above the page. She hesitated before scribing a few additional words. She lowered the pen and tried it out loud.

"I wish the goblin would come and take you away."

The thunder boomed again. She cringed and looked up, thoughtful. Something was still missing.

"I wish the goblins would come and take you away," Linda said slowly, staring at her image, "right now!" She gave her image a satisfied nod and sighed, looking down. She still needed to review whole book. Resolute on her goal, she seized the pen and resumed back to work.

_"Say it!"_

Linda jolted up her head and looked around, her skin on goose bumps. She couldn't shake off the feeling someone was watching her. "You're being silly!" She hissed at her mirror-me laying on the bed. "Imagining things!"

_"What makes you so certain…?"_

She stared at the reflection, the lights dancing around her. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of something flickering in the mirror. Hesitantly, she got up from the bed.

Her reflection approached her and returned her look. Linda could swear, she saw it winking. Gasping, she backed away. "No…"

The reflection grinned, baring its teeth -- a bit too pointed to be her own, and opened its mouth.

_"I wish the goblins would come and take you away, right now! "_

She blinked her eyes unable to believe the sight or the words. Her image tossed back its head and laughed. Linda could hear the voice echoing in the room, mixing with the sound of the falling rain. Transfixed, she stared the sight. The image gave her a brief wave, and spinning on its heels, disappeared from her sight. Suddenly the lights flickered, a loud bang shuddered through the house, and Linda let out a frightened scream. The maple banged against the glass like trying to break it. She heard voices around her, cackling, snickering and scratching. She turned from side to side, trying to see into the darkness, and retreated towards her bed. The shadows were swirling in her feet, shifting and shivering. They moved and grew taller, approached her. Frozen, Linda stared them transforming into a human shaped and sized figure: a man.

The wind died, thunderstorm calmed, and the branches quit hitting at the window. His dark, glittering cape fluctuated in the air. He smiled, took a step forward; and Linda finally re-found her ability to move. She turned around, sprinted to run and screamed.

"Dad!"


	4. Damsel in Distress

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

LEGEND

**Damsel in Distress**

Linda yanked the door open, escaping the shadow man in her room, and the sudden bright light blinded her. Uncaring about her momentary blindness, she stumbled forward.

"Mom!" Linda shouted with her heart in her throat. "Dad! Help!"

Her vision returned. She stopped, glancing around her, and gasped in dread. Instead of the familiar walls of her home, a limestone corridor surrounded her from all directions. Pale orange-colored light illuminated the hovering walls around her; the light glided in through arched windows high upon her. Room dust glittered in sunrays, spinning in wild circles as dancing. She spun on her place, her gaze shifting on the strange environment she had stumbled into. A frightening feeling, a shadow of a panic emerged inside her, her breathing came out ragged.

_Calm down! Calm down!_

"Tsk, tsk." Linda's skin crawled at the sound. She could feel hair standing up on her neck. Slowly, she turned to look behind and saw the man that had appeared in her room leaning against the wall. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the unruly blond hair, cruel face and lean body. She couldn't shake off that odd feeling she knew the man somehow.

The man returned her look a masked expression on his face.

"It's an ill deed to invite me in, only to flee, shouting for parents' help." He let out a dry laugh, a sneer almost, and stood upright. "But what else can one except from a Williams?"

"You're…the Goblin King?" Linda winced at her broken voice.

He took a step forward and bowed. "At your service."

Linda gasped, "But it's only a story! Mere words of a play…"

Something flickered on his face, a shadow of a frown. "Not just mere words," the Goblin King hissed, "in this play, never those."

Her legs trembled beneath her as she regarded the man in front of her with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her gaze shifted to their surrounding, and she slowly said, "So, I'm in the castle beyond the Goblin City…"

"Clever lass," the Goblin King almost smiled his voice low and husky. "I can see it runs in the family."

She glanced at him sharply and finally asked, "Why am I here?"

"Why..." He bared his teeth. "It seems to me your reflection called my goblins to come and take you away…"

She felt the colour fleeting from her face as she staggered hastily further from him, trying desperately to rein her fear. "W-what did you do to it?" Linda almost bit her tongue as her voice betrayed her another time.

"Me?" Now there was no question about it, the Goblin King's debauched grin stretched across his whole face. "I had nothing to do with it," he said. "I wasn't the one wishing my own reflection away in the first place…" the Goblin King reminded.

"But it's only a reflection!" Linda cried

He frowned. "Yet even they have feelings."

"But, but…" Linda stammered. This didn't make any sense! Reflection just didn't wish people to goblin kings! Staring at the black caped man who stood in front of her, she couldn't even find words. Silently, with her eyes, she pledged him to explain her the reason he stole her from her home. Why her reflection would do such thing? Why her? The Goblin King avoided her stare and, instead, inspected his fingers covered with dark leather gloves.

"Please!" Linda moaned in frustration.

"Yes?" He looked up, arching his eyebrows up curiously.

"I didn't mean it!"

Looking thoughtful, he placed his finger on his cheek. "Now, where have I heard that before…?" the King mused with a mock-seriousness.

Linda inhaled deep, trying to ignore his sarcasm. "Look, sir," she said. "I doubt I'm the only one saying stupid things out loud…"

"There you are right." He smirked obnoxiously, setting her blood boil in her veins.

Linda clenched her fists together and continued through her teeth. "I meant that also others before me must have wished someone or something away. I doubt you answer to all of those pleas…"

"No," he said, and an odd expression wavered on his face.

"So…" Linda continued, "Maybe, if it isn't necessary to obligate the call every time, you could just…return me back to my home?"

He laughed at her suggestion, thrusting his head backwards. His voice bellowed in the empty corridor. Involuntary, unable to prevent her reaction, Linda shivered at the sound of his laughter and backed away with her stomach lurched in a tight knot. At last, the Goblin King's laughter died, he fell into a deep silence and, his eyes flickering in a sinister way, gave her a long look.

"Ah, Linda, you see," the Goblin King said, "there's a small problem in fulfilling your request."

"Oh?" She licked her parched lip, and his eyes narrowed as his gaze fixed to her mouth. The attention felt unnerving. She could feel her heartbeats accelerating. "And what might that be…?" she finally succeeded to speak out loud, relieved that her voice didn't waver any longer.

"When I reply to the call," the Goblin King said, a hint of ferocity in his voice, "in order to withdraw the wish, the caller has to win my challenge."

"The Labyrinth" Linda spoke softly.

His eyes flashed, and he gave her a nod.

"I can do it," Linda said, forcing herself to sound more confident she actually felt. "If that's the problem, I'm willing to have my try."

"For a smart girl, you appear little dense," the Goblin King said, an amusement gleaming in his gaze. He shifted his weight, and a halfmoon crest on his chest caught her eye.

She decided to let his insult slip away. "What do you mean?"

"You Williams..." Unexpectedly, he sounded almost satisfied. He stepped closer, "just don't seem to learn …" For some reason she couldn't move. She stood transfixed on her place and stared him straight into eyes. They were curious colored; the other one blue, the other one green…or brown? She could smell his scent, both alien and familiar at the same time, cinnamon, musk and something old. He bent down and nearly touched her lips with his own. "Tell me, young Linda Williams," he purred. "Who do you think will save you?"

"Save me?" she repeated, re-finding her strength, and drew back. "I already said I'll do it! I'll run your Labyrinth."

"Your reflection wished you away," the Goblin King reminded gleefully, "not you."

She blinked here eyes, staring at the man, and a dreadful feeling in her stomach increased. "What…?" Her voice was only a mere whisper in her throat.

His leer was all but friendly as he explained, "You can't run for yourself," the Goblin King said. "Only the wisher may do it; and in your case, your reflection doesn't want to…"

"You can't be serious!" Terrified, lacking the strength to believe in his words, she trembled. The reaction didn't pass his sharp eyes. A dark expression glided across his face, something Linda almost recognized -- satisfaction? Smugness? For some reason, it only made her feel worse. Why did the King choose her of all people? What did he want of her?

"Oh yes, I am," the Goblin King said. "Very serious." He deliberately shook his head and stepped forward. His dark cape fluttered behind him like a pair of tattered wings, and Linda recoiled away from him. Her heart thumped in her chest so hard it hurt. She halted only when her back met the corridor wall. The stones felt hard and cold, and she shivered, staring at the man that elegantly and, at the same time, predator-like, sleek and dangerous, paraded across the floor. He stopped only inches away from her, baring his pointed teeth; and she recognized the satisfaction in his voice. "You belong to me now…"

"Oh, crap…" The grunt slipped pass her lips before she could prevent it. Glaring at him, she spat. "This isn't…" Linda staggered, too angry to invent anything to retort.

"…fair?" the King suggested with his lips in a warped smile.

"Yes!" Linda hissed annoyed. She met his eyes, keeping her chin bravely up. "You simply can't invade other people's lives this way. It's… wrong!"

He appeared to be amused by her anger. "Oh, really?" Lifting his hand, he absentmindedly caressed a dark lock of her hair an unfamiliar expression on his face -- almost wistful.

She shrunk away from his touch, and his expression froze. The King too a step backwards.

"In this land it is I who decides what's wrong and what's right," he hissed, his eyes barely narrow slits in his face.

"There are rules!" Linda said desperately. "You can't do this! I won't go along with this!" For her annoyance, she felt tears brimming in her eyes and angrily blinked them to banish the moistness.

"What's said is said," the Goblin King snorted, unmoved by her desperation.

"But I didn't wish myself away!"

"No," the Goblin King agreed. "Your reflection did it."

She inhaled suddenly, an idea forming in her head, and watched the man carefully. "In that case I want to try to solve Labyrinth to gain it back."

The Goblin King jerked at her words, and his expression turned darker.

Linda met his eyes unflinchingly. "I want to try," she repeated, reassured by his reaction.

He inspected her for a long time an ugly frown on his face, before he hissed through his gritted teeth, "Very well then. I grant your wish. You may have your try..."


	5. Into the Labyrinth

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

LEGEND

**Into the Labyrinth**

He moved -- so fast.

His fingers curled around her arm. Linda let out a small gasp as he yanked her forward. She staggered and nearly fell on his arms. When she regained her composure and lifted her gaze from his dark, shiny boots, she realized they weren't in the castle anymore. She could discern an enormous maze spreading in front of them, and even further she saw the spirally form of the castle.

Linda stared at the sight and then turned to look at the Goblin King. "That's the castle I have to reach?" She pointed towards the Labyrinth and the distant towers.

He glared at her. "Yes."

Linda puckered her lip, shifting her gaze between the sight of the enormous maze and the Goblin King, asking, "And how much time do I have?"

"You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth," He said through his clenched teeth, the leather of his gloves creaked as he lifted his dark-clad arm and pointed to a nearby trunk of a leafless tree. A huge decorative clock appeared there, in the mist of the bare branches, marked with Roman numbers from one to thirteen. "Starting from now."

"Thirteen hours?" Linda repeated, stealing a glance on the maze. Her gaze trailed down to her feet, and her forehead furrowed at the sight of her socks. "There's no possibility to change clothes for this?" she asked from the Goblin King.

"Don't tempt my patience," the man snapped.

Linda retained from rolling her eyes and turned her back on the man. "I guess I need to get going then…"

"Linda," the Goblin King spoke, and she glanced at his direction. His composure was regal and cool again. "Remember that should you lose," he bared his teeth, "you shall belong to me forever."

"I won't lose!" Linda vowed, and he sneered at her, vanishing from her sight, but his words lingered a long time in her ears.

"We shall see…"

Linda sighed and, spinning her arms and stretching her muscles and shoulders, took her first step towards the Labyrinth. The ghostly sound of a ticking clock accompanied her, reminding her of the scarce time. "I shall conquer this!" Linda muttered, her expression resolute, and sprinted to run.

The dark walls towered above her, reaching for the cloudless sky like an unyielding obstacle, when she arrived at the area of outer walls of the Labyrinth. She inspected the construction in front of, the dried wines climbing up the crumbling fissure, the fallen rocks on the sand covered ground. Annoyed, she puffed out a lock of her hair tangling in front of her face. She didn't see any openings or doors on the wall.

"Well what did you expect?" She muttered. "It's supposed to be challenging…"

Determined, she settled up to work of finding a door. But after minutes of useless wandering, she finally sat on a stone bench next to a small fountain. Frustrated, she buried her face into her hands. The wall didn't yield in with any way.

A sound of fluttering of wings and small peeping interrupted her thoughts. Perplexed, she looked around. Further in the distance small butterflies glided through the air, the army of them crowding next to the gray stonewalls. Her gaze moved about her as she tried to locate the sound, which was when she took a notice on the thorn bushes next to her and the white web spread all over the branches. In the midst of the thick blanked-like web she noticed a butterfly, tangled in the web, and struggling to get free. Its wings were tattered in pieces, but still it kept on flapping, trying to loose free. Linda leaned closer and gasped, understanding then that she had mistaken it to a butterfly.

"A fairy…" She stared at the creature, tangled in the cobweb.

The blond-haired naked fairy glared at her and flapped her transparent wings. In awe, Linda stared at the miniature woman and extended her arm. The creature hissed at her, baring her sharp teeth.

She jerked her hand away. "Hey! I'm only trying to help!" Her eyes narrowed, and she asked, "You want to stay there forever?"

It seemed the creature understood her. The fairy shook her head.

"If I help you, you won't bite me?" Linda confirmed doubtingly, inspecting the pointed teeth in the fairy's mouth.

She nodded.

She sighed, getting up. "Alright then. Stay still, will you?"

The work was tedious and slow. The moist and sticky cobweb glued on her fingers as she made her way to free the fairy. The creature kept her word. She remained unmoving while Linda worked through the binding threads. At last, Linda lowered the creature on the ground. She fluttered her tattered wings, jumping into air but failed repeatedly. Casting a sad look on her ragged wings, the fairy slumbered on her knees.

"I'm sorry for your wings," Linda said. "Maybe they heal in time?"

The fairy shook a head in denial and whisked its hair from her face. She took a glance on her, curiously, and pointed at her. Only then Linda noticed its small, clawed hand. She shuddered at the sight, understanding the fairy could have easily torn her skin bare.

The fairy signaled around them.

She licked her lips. "You want to know who I am and what I do here?"

The creature nodded as if in answer.

"I'm Linda," she said and glanced at the walls of the Labyrinth. "And I need to reach the castle of the Goblin King within thirteen hours or I'll belong to him forever." She eyed at the creature, a sudden hope flaring inside of her. "You don't happen to know the way to the Labyrinth, do you?"

To her pleasure, the creature nodded again.

"Can you kindly point me there?" Linda asked. "I'll promise I can leave you somewhere where your kindred ones can help you."

The creature gasped and shook its head, a terrified expression on her face. She fell on her knees and pressed her palms together.

"No?"

The fairy shook her head and signaled at herself and then at Linda.

"You want to come with me?" Linda asked surprised. "Why?"

The fairy just shook its head. Linda sighed. "Alright then. I guess you know what you're doing…" She shrugged her shoulders and smiled suddenly. "Well, I take it won't hurt to have a companion during this trip…"

She offered the fairy her hand. She clung into it, and Linda lifted her up, placing the fairy on her shoulder. Immediately, she nestled herself amongst her hair.

"Okay, where to go then?" she asked, and the lithe creature pointed to their left.

She obeyed.

o O o

He stared at the image of the girl the crystal revealed to him, a frown on his face.

"'Yer Majesty, what doth you see?" one of the goblins asked, trying to pry a glimpse of the picture.

The Goblin King snarled displeased, his eyes transfixed on the wavering image. "She's already inside."

"You should have denied her request!"

He ripped his eyes from the crystal to the sound of a familiar voice. He glared at the owner, a creature who looked and dressed like Linda. The Linda-creature met his frown, unflinching. Standing in front of his throne, it--she spat, "She would be yours now!"

He hissed at the creature, his jaw set. "I didn't ask your opinion."

"Yet, I will force them unto you," the creature said in Linda's voice. "You asked for my help and that I shall give." She snarled again, "You should have denied her request!"

He growled at the disobeying creature. "Even I can not change the Law. The wisher must have the right to try her change in undoing the wish called for. She realized it too soon."

"So, once again you underestimated the girl you lust over," the creature mocked him.

"I do not lust over her!" The Goblin King sprung on his feet, his cape fluttering around him, and the goblins in the throne room dispersed screaming away. He paid no mind to them, staring at the mirror creature, the Othering.

She curved her brows. "What then, pray tell?"

His expression turned cold as he sat down on his seat. "She is going to be an instrument of my revenge," the King hissed.

The Othering eyed him skeptically. "And what if you lose?" she finally inquired.

The Goblin King refrained from answering. He turned his attention back to the crystal. "I wont' lose," he said through his clenched teeth and glanced at the creature. "You will make sure of that."

"And…?" the creature asked, a hungry look in her eyes.

He nodded grimly. "Yes," The Goblin King said. "You shall have your reward…" He bared his canine teeth, "You shall have her life."

This time the goblins didn't need to be encouraged. They started cheering, and the Goblin King relaxed, leaning on his chair. Looking at the girl in his crystal, he muttered.

"She'll pay, by the gods and these hands – she'll pay…"


	6. Blaze o’ the Amaze

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth. Nor the poem. (c) see the announcement below.

**LEGEND**

Blaze o' the Amaze

The fairy snored in her ears while Linda walked through the echoing corridor. The fairy had proven good to its word and guided her to an opening in the outer wall, a small hole that Linda barely could crawl through. Exhausted from her earlier captivity, the creature had then fallen asleep in the tangle she had made in her hair. Linda sighed, feeling the knots against her neck. The fairy moaned in her sleep and, as gently as possible, Linda stepped over a log lying on her way.

Hastily, she snatched her hand away from the wall, noticing an eyeballed moss that grew on the surface of the stones. Linda spat in aghast at the sight and swore she almost heard a squeaking voice as the moss ogled back at her.

"I bet he can see me through your all-seeing eyes," she muttered and frowned, glancing around. "But where then are his all-hearing ears?"

She felt a tugging of her hair and glanced at her side. The fairy had awoken and pointed now up. Linda grimaced when seeing small ears attached to the stone. They kept on fluttering and turning at her direction. She shivered, realizing the Goblin King might be watching her even now. The thought made her wary -- and angry.

"Now that you are awake," the girl said. "You might as well tell if you know how to get out of this corridor?" She signaled around. "I can hardly call this a maze."

The fairy just shook its head.

"No?" Linda sighed, defeated. "You've never been inside the Labyrinth?"

Again she was rewarded with a shaking of head.

"How am I ever going to reach the centre if there are no turns?" Linda complained, annoyed, and kicked a stone lying on the ground. "I could swear I saw them on that hill…" She frowned at the eyemoss that quickly averted its gaze.

She kicked another stone and watched it bouncing through the corridor. The echo thundered in her ears and made her feel slightly better. She kicked the third time and watched as the stone bounced towards the grey stonewall. She half expected to hear a loud clasp again. Instead, to Linda's amazement, the stone went straight through.

Linda's eyes widened. "What!"

Hurrying to the place where the stone had disappeared, she stopped, inspecting the wall. The stones looked similar as rest in the corridor thus far. "Is this normal?" she asked, but the fairy that just shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, here goes nothing," Linda sighed and lifted her hand, trying to place her palms against the wall. She nearly lost her balance as her hands went through.

"An illusion!" Linda gasped and grinned. "Why but of course…" She eyed the moss and ears loping above her gleefully. For a while she was tempted to mock the Goblin King but banished thoughts quickly. She doubted the man would take ridiculing lightly -- if all.

Without waiting longer, she stepped through the charmed opening and could not prevent herself from grinning. "Now, this is what I would call a maze," Linda muttered. All around her she saw turns, shadowy edges and walls built of pale orange colored stones. Far in the distance, she discerned an ominous outline of the Goblin King's castle. She glanced at sky, but couldn't say how long time had already transpired. A remembrance of her previous panic crept back in her heart.

Linda pursed her lips together, realizing she would need to hurry. The time was frighteningly scarce. "Take a tight hold," Linda told to the fairy. "I'm going to run now."

The fairy obeyed, and Linda winced as the creature tugged her hair, dwelling deeper into her self-made nest.

Linda lost soon her sense of direction, sprinting through the pebbled corridors and turns, stopping occasionally to ponder whether to choose the path on her right or her left. Sometimes the fairy jerked her hair, signaling her to take the other route instead. Before she knew it, the walls around her started to close on her and the color on the pebbles to fade. Linda reduced the speed of her steps and winced at the feeling of her sore muscles. For a moment she was afraid she had run into a dead-end, but smelled then a mild scent of flowers. A soft breeze caressed her skin. She halted as she saw an arched gateway in front of her, leading out of the pebbled part of the maze.

She inspected the structure and, noticing writing on the top of the archway, read out loud the words.

_Somewhere there is a grave, and something lies  
Cold in the ground, and stirs not for my sighs  
It is not in their sunshine; in the night  
It is not in the silence, and the light  
Of all the silver stars; the flowers asleep  
Dream no more of it, nor their morning eyes  
Betray the secrets it has bidden them keep._

"I wonder what it might mean," Linda muttered, narrowing her eyes and glanced behind her, seeing the shadows of the maze cast over her. She shivered and shrugged her shoulders while turning around. Realizing this was her only way forward, she took a deep breath and stepped through the gate.

She blinked her eyes, trying to adjust to sudden twilight falling upon her. The leaves rustled around her, stirred by gentle breeze.

"This doesn't look like a maze," the girl muttered, looking around in the garden she had stumbled into. She glanced behind and gasped, realizing the gateway had vanished. The same dreadful feeling clutched her, squeezing her heart, and she turned to look anew the trees and the plants half-cloaked in the lingering dusk.

"It seems my choices are getting scarcer and scarcer…" Linda sighed wearily and glanced at her feet. The dew was already soaking through her socks, and she bent down to strip her feet bare before continued deeper into the garden, listening closely anything that might reveal what awaited her in its darkness.

The silence felt unnerving, and to ease her nervousness, she spoke out loud. "Do you have a name?" Linda cringed at her echoing voice and heard a rustle, like sweetly scenting flowers and dark figures of low trees had suddenly heaved upon her.

The fairy shook its head, digging deeper into her hair. Linda could feel her shivering.

"No?" She whispered and asked, a fleeting smile flashing on her lips, "In that case, may I call you Cobweb?"

The fairy didn't move, but Linda assumed she didn't mind about the name.

Suddenly she halted, narrowing her eyes. Did she see light ahead of her, blinking through the dark trunks of the lithe trees and their leaves? She hesitated before taking a step forward. Linda could feel Cobweb yanking her hair, but, curious, didn't stop.

She stepped through the forest of the untamed trees and entered a clearing. Her eyes hooked on the cloaked figure that was sitting on a stone bench alone. The light she earlier discerned was coming from the lantern he -- she? kept in his -- hers? hands. The figure looked at her, but Linda couldn't perceive the face shrouded by shadows of the hood. Cautiously, she took a step closer.

"Umm, excuse me," Linda said. "May I ask for your help?"

The figure lifted a hand in front of the shadowed face, shushing at her, and Linda saw a pale, slender hand underneath the dark cloak wrapped around the torchbearer.

She took a seat on the opposite side of the stone bench. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I need to get to the centre of the Labyrinth. Do you know the way there?"

The figure stared at her silently, the eerie light of the lantern barely illuminating the clearing around them. The cloaked head moved as in denial, and Linda's shoulders slumbered.

"Oh," she muttered. "I guess I need to continue my way then." She placed her hands on the stone bench, deciding to get up.

Suddenly the person moved, lifting up a hand. Linda froze and watched as the figure signaled toward the light.

"Uh?" Linda licked her lip. "You want me to look at it?"

The person shushed her another time, a finger hovering in front of the area Linda supposed was the mouth, and gave her a nod.

"What will it do?" Linda asked softly.

The other didn't reply, moving the lantern closer.

Linda's eyes fixed on the light. She sat back on the bench and bent closer. Something danced beneath the milky glass amidst of the burning flame. Her eyes narrowed as she focused her gaze at the ghostlike light. The trees rustled around her, and the scent of the roses grew stronger. The glow inside the lantern moved and swirled in crazed vortex, and Linda couldn't rip of her gaze. She leaned even closer, craving to have the light in her hands. Her hands moved by their own accord towards it.

The torchbearer remained impassive, silent, lowering the item closer to Linda.

Charmed, staring at the globe, Linda didn't notice dark shadows crawling near and surrounding her. Snarling, they emerged underneath the ground and circled around her and the cloaked figure, but Linda didn't look around. She only saw the glow in front of her face. Her eyes were transfixed on it. Her skin itched, and she leaned forwards. When her hands finally clasped around the lantern, she saw a bright flashing inside, blinding her sight.

And then she was gone.

o O o

The moment Linda touched the lantern and disappeared, the cloaked figure let the light go down. She turned and looked at the shadows that were drawing near. They stopped and recoiled from her stare, and finally faded away. Shaking her head she let the hood fall off her head and leered again at the light she kept. A thought fleeted on her face, a shadow, while she glanced at the pebbled ground she stood on. Her face turned cold, and she lifted the globe. At the sudden sound of trees rustling around, she jerked her head up and froze.

Hastily lowering her hands, the Linda-creature said to the man who stepped from the shades, "She took the bait."

He gave her a cold look, and she flinched when he ordered, "Give me the orb!"

She hesitated before offered him her treasure. Staring into it, he spoke at last, "You did well."

"What about my rewards?"

He glanced at her. "Patience," the King reminded his lips curved in a small smile. "Hours from her thirteen yet remain but, when spent, her life shall be yours."

"And what now?" She asked.

"I will weave a dream for the girl -- and for her."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

He growled low. "She must know! And when she does, you do your part."

She bowed. "Ay, Goblin King, I hear and obey."

"Good," the Goblin King gave her an absent nod, and, while him speaking, the lantern blazed and cast eerie light on his haughty face. The dream globe started to shrink until it was only the size of a small orb. He tugged the orb into his belt and looked up at the sky. "The time draws near," the Goblin King said and returned his gaze on her. "I will see the Shadow Sisters. You -- go and be prepared."

They disappeared. The little fairy that had remained hidden under the stone bench peeked behind the legs. The fairy stepped forward, looking around. The Goblin King and the-creature-that-looked-like-the-girl-that-had-saved-the-fairy-but-was-not-her were gone. The fairy frowned, standing a moment still, before she noticed a swirling shadow lurking behind the trees. She sprinted forward, gasping. She heard howling and knew that shadow beasts had seen it. The chase was on.

* * *

The poem has been adapted from the collection of poems of Victorian Women Writers Project.

(c) 1998, The Trustees of Indiana University. Indiana University makes a claim of copyright only to original contributions made by the Victorian Women Writers Project participants and other members of the university community. Indiana University makes no claim of copyright to the original text. Permission is granted to download, transmit or otherwise reproduce, distribute or display the contributions to this work claimed by Indiana University for non-profit educational purposes, provided that this header is included in its entirety.


	7. The Act

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

The Act

She stood in darkness, watching.

The stage was set up underneath the starry sky. Drapes hung around the podium, whilst the orchestra, hit behind the foyer, played lively music to cheer up the crowd. Violins and flutes and tambourine raced against each other, competed on that which would play out the loudest tone. Intoxicated, the crowd cheered, but whether the rooting was for the actors who stumbled on stage, for the music, or for themselves, she couldn't say. In their carnivorous masks, people looked just as debauch as the actors.

She sprung forward in the crowd. No one paid attention to her, too occupied in the game of lechery that was played. A man with a donkey's head was standing naked on stage. She shook her head and proceeded.

Those in the audience who noticed her didn't look at her for a long time, thinking she was one of them. She wondered this until she saw a glimpse of her reflection. Sarah cried softly, flinging her hand on her chest to cover herself and her nudity.

Sarah realized then the people weren't following the play anymore, but stared at someone else. She turned on her place and gasped. For a while she thought she was seeing herself, an image of her adolescence me. The slender neck and dark hair piled on the head reminded Sarah about herself. But the girl was not she. This was not the ballroom of her dream, and the girl wasn't wearing a puffy white gown, but normal present day clothes while moving around the outdoor area. Then the girl turned, her face was revealed, and Sarah recognized her at last.

"Linda!"

Sarah moved, trying to fight her way to the girl. But now the people realized she didn't belong with them and wasn't part of their game. They blocked her way and prevented her from reaching the girl. And then she saw _him. _He was stalking Linda, eyes gleaming of the excitement of the hunt, his lips cast in satisfied leer. She could not rip her eyes of him. Her gaze trailed after him. His back tensed, and he glanced over his shoulders.

The Goblin King's face wavered at the sight of her, but soon he collected himself and gave her a mock smile. His lips moved,

"_Sarah…"_

She awoke from the dream, jolting up on her bed, gasping for air; and she knew it had been real. Her face grew dark. Somehow the Goblin King had gotten his hand on her niece. Sarah stared at the walls of her bedroom and remembered once more the expression on the face of the Goblin King -- lecherous and predatory. She shuddered at the memory.

"Jareth," Sarah spoke to the empty walls of her apartment, a fearful foreboding clenching around her heart. "What are you going to do to her?"

o O o

Linda was at lost. She couldn't remember what she was doing amongst these carnivorous people. She shivered, feeling their stares while she moved around the open-air auditorium. She tried to get away from the crowd, but, leering at her, they followed. She grimaced at the sight of their macabre masks, and on the act on the stage. Turning on her place, she tried to find an escape route. Her eyes narrowed.

"Sarah…?" Linda muttered, wondering if she really had seen a glimpse of her aunt. She perked her head up while she fought her way towards the place she had seen her. Linda stared at the spot blankly, wondering if she had only imagined the vision.

And then the feeling returned to her; a dreadful feeling that something was amiss and she didn't have much time. She let out a scared gasp, sprinting into move. Her forehead furrowed as she tried to mingle through the audience. She was going somewhere, looking for something – but where and what?

She saw him then. He was standing in the midst of the shadows and people, staring at her. She knew immediately she knew him somehow. Her eyes narrowed, and she took a step forward. But her way was blocked, and when she looked anew, the man was gone.

Linda stretched her neck, trying to find the man again. She saw him on the other direction and took after him. She followed the man, and every time she thought she gained him, some from the audience stepped on her way, and he was gone again. When she was nearly through with this tiresome game, he suddenly stood next to her.

She stared at him, unable to utter a sound. His eyes were gleaming and his smile a little too twisted to be kind. She stared at his mismatched eyes, a voice in her head telling her she should do – something. Her eyes widened when she realized she didn't remember anymore what it was.

She shivered and glanced around, feeling a sense of lost. Realizing, she was barefooted and wore only sweatpants and a t-shirt, while the other were adorned in extensive dresses and jewelry, Linda retreated wary of the man. His eyes turned harder. He stepped forward grasping her, and she noticed only then the gloves covering his hands.

"Come," the man said in a low voice, "and I shall take you away."

She sighed relieved and let the man pull her into his arms. He placed her head against his chest, leading her from the grass ground where people spun around in maddening phase. Their shadowy dance with the high-pitched music was making her woozy. Linda closed her eyes, inhaling deep the night air -- and the man. He smelled odd, strange yet familiar. A tint of danger lingered around him, like an alluring aftershave that made her light-headed. She shivered feeling his fingers trailing on the curve of her neck, and his teeth flashed in the darkness. He produced somewhere a wineglass offering it to Linda.

"Drink," he said. "You are thirsty."

Her throat scorched; and glad of his offer, she accepted the glass. She tasted the wine, and her eyes widened in wonder. It was delicious! Thirsty she took another sip, then another, and another; and before she knew, she had emptied the whole glass.

"Now, my dear," the man purred, taking the glass away from her shaking hands. "Pray, tell me, what is your name?"

She stared him, laughed a little and opened her mouth to speak. All color fleeted from her face the moment she realized she couldn't say.

"I -- I can't remember!" She cried softly, tears welling in hear eyes.

"Now, now," the man said, purring, and stepped closer. "Let me offer you my help," he said. "I'm certain, together we can solve the mystery of your disappeared self," He suggested like just realizing, "Maybe you remember something that might give your character away?"

The girl stared ahead, shivering, and shook her head. "No," she gasped for air. "Nothing." She looked at the man and asked hesitantly. "But may I ask who are you so kindly to offer me your help?"

"I am, in my condition, I do think a King," he said, smiling, "who knows, maybe even more."

The girl cast her eyes away, suddenly ashamed. "Sire, I'm in awe that you grant your attention upon me." She was confused. Who she was and why couldn't she remember?

"Nay," the man,_ the King_, said. "I only recognized a beauty that appeared to be in distress."

"That is most kind of you, sire," she said silently, blushing and thankful for the night.

"Kind? No," he said, stepping closer and took her chin in to his hands. He gave her a lingering look, "Desirable? Yes."

The color on her face deepened. "I'm no such woman, sire," she said at last nervously and retreated from him, but he only smiled.

"But you have arrived here to enjoy the play?" He glanced at the stage where the ass-man crawled on his four like an animal; and the audience applauded at his act.

She blushed even more. "Sire, I do now know," the girl said silently. "But I know that I'm not supposed to be here."

He looked at her curiously. "Where then?"

"I was looking for something..." She said thoughtful.

"And what might that be?"

"I do not know!" She cried in despair. "I swear a moment ago, I know, I had a name -- now; not even that. And I was looking for somebody...?"

"Maybe me?" He suggested.

"No..." She said at last, uncertain. And then a face flickered in her mind; an image of older woman whose hair was already starting to turn grey. She frowned, the name dancing on her tongue.

"_Sarah…"_

That was when it all returned back to her. She gasped, looking up, and recognized the face on the Goblin King.

"You!" Linda stepped backwards. "What have you done to me?"

He smiled, though not pleasantly. "In my Labyrinth there are twists and turns, and each of them leads to secret place, some unknown truth."

"I would hardly describe this place a secret," Linda hissed, "nor that an answer."

He frowned. "Don't be insolent, wench! It was the answer you asked for."

"Return me back to Labyrinth at the instant!" Linda demanded, stamping her foot on the ground. "I want to solve the maze so I can leave this wretched place!"

He glared at her, saying, "As you wish..."

And at his words, the world fell down.

o O o

The girl lay on his arms unconscious as he descended the stairs. His breath steamed around his head like a misty gauze, the pale glow of the stars glittering on the damp walls. Lower he went, all the way until the very end where neither sun nor stars could reach with their lights. He heard murmuring, almost singing, _"Aeei, aeei, aeei…"_ The lamenting voices echoed all around him as he continued forward, emerged by the darkness.

"_Aeei, aeei, aeei…"_

As he walked, he could hear the sounds growing stronger, coiling around him like a snake. He carried on to the dark, until soft glow appeared and blemished the blackness of the underground. His eyes cast briefly on the unconscious girl, and his lips purses tightly together before he, bending over, walked through an opening.

The King entered a cave. A smoking torch, casting its waning light, barely illuminated the space. He looked around and heard a rasped voice speaking up.

"What bring'th thee here?" The shadow in the furthest corner moved. "What deed maketh the Dream King come and visit the Kindred Ones? Hast thou brought us a cadaver to treat, a loved one perhaps? Or hast thou brought her 'ere for brews to forget?"

She stepped to his sight veiled in white.

"Neither, my ladies," he said. "The gift I hold is neither for the living or the dead."

He heard a sharp hiss from the other side, and the other woman stepped in the sphere of the frail light. "Ah, dreamer. Begone!" She pointed towards the breach behind him. "'This no place of dreams but dreams lost, of despair and sanguis. That was what thou us sayeth!"

"Nevertheless," the Goblin King said, "I bring her here, to reclaim the boon you once gave."

"O, wretched oath, cursed be thee to reclaim it on hours like these!" The ladies wailed, flinging their hands on their shrouded face, and swayed. "Have thou no mercy? The hearth has grown cold, and where once three rejoiced, remains lone two. Aeei, aeei!" They took off.

"Behave yourself, ladies," he commanded but they paid no heed at him.

"The cursed god of skyfather's eye!" The other woman said, slowly closing on him. "The Owl Queen!"

Her sister continued, snarling, "She robbed us, promised us the land, the sweet scent of sacrifices and eternal bliss!"

"And we, old and wise, blinded by her new law and the just words… Aeei!" They cried in unison.

"Just, she said!" The other spat, stopping.

"Yes, she did!" Her sister wept.

They moved again. "So the old and wise were proven fools when her lies we took!"

Veils fluttering like moths' wings, they circled around him. "She sent us scattering for her beloved Rock King, for her city. And her eyes were cold as were her words ruthless. Begone! So she said; and now here we reside, scared of the sun, the moon, driven into exile from our father's land! Take the woman-child away, we beg thee!"

"A boon is given and yours to keep," the King snarled, grasping the girl tighter in his hands. "So it was agreed."

They halted. "A cruel destiny is what thou force upon us, but we obey – so let not be said the once so proud Furies did not keep true to their words."

"Honour your wows," the Goblin King said, "and I shall reward you; fail, and you will pay!" He stepped towards the stone altar in the middle of the cave and placed the inert girl on it. His hands slithered across her unconscious face as hesitating.

"Take her in. And when she awakes, keep her dreams at bay. I keep to my words. In Under's Ground, none shall have one." He straightened his back, laughing, and after saying this, was gone.

"_Aeei, aeei, aeei…" _They cried.


	8. The Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Labyrinth but I have the soundtrack.

**LEGEND**

The Aftermath

She didn't stay in the bed for long. Nearly immediately after her dream -- the vision, she corrected herself, Sarah phoned to her brother.

Yes, he was alright. No, Jessica was asleep and Linda was in her room. Nice that you called. Yes. He loves you too.

Sarah hung up and rose from the bed. Wrapping the nightgown tightly around her, she headed to her wardrobe, fighting against the urge to curl back under the warmth of her sheets. She glanced at her vanity. Sarah's feet stopped like glued. Her face flushed; memory of the Goblin King and way he had seen her sent shivers across her spine.

Sarah could not prevent herself. On its own accord, her hand rose to touch her face. Her fingers trailed across the furrows of her skin and, sighing resignedly, she took a look at her reflection. A remembrance of his eyes made her suddenly scared -- and covetous. A shadow of envy flickered inside her when she thought about him. He had not aged at all since the last time they had met.

She wondered what he might have seen - the dreamer she once had been? A foolhardy child grown old? Or just an old woman, nothing more? A thoughtful expression flickered on her face as she stared at her own image, wistful.

She hauled breath, remembering the call she had received earlier today. After weeks of waiting, her agent had finally contacted her to tell about a possible role. The excitement had soon been replaced by a burning rage. How dared he? Did he seriously think she would accept the role of Nana? The sudden heat of anger burned her cheek and she scowled, unable to deny her resentment any longer– Cassandra had been played by a near teenager and she had been offered a role of a dog! It was time to face it. She was getting old.

Thought of Linda brought back her dream; her brows knit together, and the anger flared up again.

Had Linda danced with the Goblin King, spun in his arms underneath the midnight sky like she? She pursed her lips unable to banish her thoughts. Had he sung to her too?

Annoyed, Sarah spun hastily around and turned her back on her image. "For Christ's sake!" She muttered and hurried from these disturbing thoughts. She was supposed to pass that age a long time ago. Yet the bitter taste of the sight lingered in her mouth.

While dressing, she went through her options. For a moment she was tempted to call Toby again. Linda was his child, not hers.

She sighed. No. She couldn't do it. It just wouldn't be fair. Her lips quavered suddenly. The irony of the thought didn't go unnoticed.

She tied up her hair, stepping back to her bedroom, and walked restlessly in circles on the floor glancing occasionally at her reflection in the mirror. It returned her anxious stare. Sarah frowned, remembering the mirror she had in her old room, and for a moment regretted leaving it behind. She had outgrown her past, left all her things, her reveries and dreams the moment she stepped out of the front door carrying with her a diploma, curriculum and resolution to succeed.

"This weak and idle theme, no more yealding but a dream…"

It should have been so: shadows and dreams! She had left. Grown. Lived. And now her dreams - - they wanted her back. Restlessly, Sarah paced back and forth her room, weighting down her options. The truth was that she could not involve Toby. He had never been apt to believe like Sarah -- or his daughter in some extent too. Sarah stopped. Not to mention the present situation with his wife. No, Sarah sighed again. It was obvious; she was to deal this herself. Toby could not be burdened more than he already was.

She stopped suddenly, looking at the mirror. Had she heard something coming from there? Eyes narrowed in sickles, she stared at the image that flickered there, a shadow here and gone again. Yes! The same voice echoed again. Sarah took a hesitant step forward and listened. Gasping, she recognized it at last, "Linda!"

_"No!" _Linda cried. _"Please, no! Let me go!!"_

She saw Linda running in the dark, dark hair flailing behind her back; and then she heard singing. The echoing voices put shivers run down her spine.

_"Cometh sister, dance! Link arms for the dancing hand-to-hand. Mother of everlasting night, showeth us the mortal trail. We pursue, we glide -- where used to be two, three shall come!"_

The image flickered once more and vanished, leaving Sarah to stare at her own scared reflection. She could still hear the women's voice echoing in the room and her ears, the memory of their song clutching around her heart. She shook her head fearfully and whispered.

"Oh, Linda! I hope you're alright…"

She didn't waste time any longer. The very thought of facing her nemesis set her heart off in a restless pace, the fear coursing through her veins. But firmly she banished the feeling at bay. Taking a deep breath, she whisked a grayish lock of hair from her eyes, grasped the broom she had retrieved from the closet, and said,

"I wish…"

Sarah cringed, remembering how she had promised never to utter those words out of her mouth again.

"What else are we but lying snakes," she muttered, "born and made to rage?" She shook her head; and discarding her worries spoke out the words.

She didn't have to wait for long. Before she even realized, the lights started to flicker and fade. She could hear a loud bang coming from the kitchen, a clattering of plates, and then, a loud crash. A shadow passed her peripheral sight. She turned, but didn't see anything. Another shadow flickered behind her. But still the creatures remained unseen.

"Cowards!" Sarah hissed. "You know I know you are there. Goblins' piss! Show yourselves!"

The hairy creatures appeared in her room, snickering and sneering.

_"Look! It's the girl who ate the peach and forgot everything!"_

_"An old hag, thee meant?"_

_"A hag who ate the peach! What shall we doth with her?"_

_"Maketh her our pet, tie into leash and let her hunt!"_

_"Up and down, up and down, we will lead her up and down. We are feared in field and town. Goblins, lead her up and down…"_

They laughed at their own song while they jumped on her furniture, occasionally tossing the pillows and lamps away. Sarah clasped her teeth together. She took a stronger hold on her broom.

"Laugh away!" She said wiggling the broom in her hands like her sword. "I whisk you out of window! Goblin or not! Unless your master shows up his nosy face at the instant, I'll brush you sore!"

"Sarah," she froze, recognizing the voice. "Really, do you necessary have to be so dramatic? My goblins are only doing what is expected from them."

Slowly, she turned around.

"Jareth…" She didn't even realize she had said the name out loud while staring at the man.

He smiled, giving her a lazy look. "What a surprise…I never thought you would call us again."

"You say!" Sarah spat and raised her broom and, remembering her niece, took a step forward. "Where is she?"

Brows arched up, he asked, "Who?"

"Don't you dare to play your games with me!" She said through her teeth, wearily watching him as he sauntered across the room. "I've seen her! Let Linda go!"

"Oh, her." He stopped by the hearth and looked at her, sounding surprised.

"Yes. Her." She hissed. "My niece."

He returned his attention to the photos she had placed on the coat and trailed his fingers on the frames. "Sarah, truly. You amaze me." The Goblin King turned around, keeping one of the pictures in his hands. "She demanded to have her run," A predatory smile fleeted on his face, "and I could not obligate."

Fear returned.

"Whom did…she wish away?" She barely found strength to ask.

He flashed his teeth. "Now, Sarah….that's impolite," he reprimanded gently. "You should know better than ask that."

"Whom did she wish away?" Sarah screamed.

He gave her an annoyed look and answered finally, "None that you know."

Her eyes narrowed as she pondered what he had said. A lovers' spat, perhaps? It has to be someone dear to her or she wouldn't be there. The sight of her running in the dark flashed through her mind. She shivered remembering Linda's desperate screams. Poor girl… She looked at the Goblin King.

"What will happen if she fails?" Suddenly her lips felt torched and her words nearly stuck in her throat.

Now he smiled, bared his pointed teeth and stepped forward. "She shall belong to me…"

"No!" Sarah gasped and recoiled before mastered her nerves. She straightened her back and demanded, "Return her back to her home! She doesn't belong there!"

"Maybe not," he agreed. "But I will not let her go. We made a deal. She has started her run and should she fail..." He gloated, "Linda Williams will be no more."


	9. The Hunter and His Prey

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND  
**

**  
**The Hunter and His Prey

**"**You snake!" She growled between her teeth, almost unable to speak. "You two-faced revolting scum!"

"Temper, temper, Sarah," the Goblin King mocked her delighted glint flickering in his eyes.

"You dare temper me? I'll make you pay!" She cried enraged and, lifting the broom upon her head, prepared to smash it into his obnoxious face.

"I dare!" He said angrily and glared at her. At the tone of his words, the goblins fell in to frightened silence. "As a king, I hold on to my rights, and no one speaks to me such way." His fingers snapped together; the clasp echoing sharply in the silent room.

Sharp pain pierced her hands and, screaming, Sarah let go off the broom. It fell on floor and clanged loudly; the sharp thorns in its handle glittering dark of her blood.

The goblins made a rude laugh, a malicious glee in their gaze.

She scowled at the creatures, and then turned to see the Goblin King, covering her hands and banishing the soaring pain at the back of her mind. "You are a devil with your sick games!" She hissed. "I despise you!"

"I do not require your approval." The man snorted.

"No," Sarah said, and forced herself to calm down. Her gaze lingered on the broom at her feet; a thoughtful expression fleeted on her face, and she raised her head. "You only want my niece." She could hear the goblins snickering around them, and from the corner of her eyes fathomed their dirty and hairy little bodies tangled on her couch, leaving dark marks on the cover. She scowled at the little monsters, but they only laughed more.

"She made the wish herself," Jareth scowled, "rather stupidly, I might even add. No one forced the words into her mouth."

"Don't lie to me!" Sarah snorted. "I remember very well how it goes!"

Her words brought an unexpected smile on his face; and a dark gleam appeared in his eyes. He took a step forward, mouth in a twisted smile. "Remember what?" He breathed, snaring her attention back to him.

Her body turned rigid while her heart started to flutter madly in her chest, flailing like wings of scared moth. To her immense annoyance, she felt her cheeks warming up and hastily backed away from him. "All," Sarah spat, raising her chin. "You lure your quarry, planning it all in advance. Like spider in a parlor, you sit on your throne spreading your net. Oh, yes. I do remember…"

"Sarah…"A ghost of an impious grin played at the corned of his mouth. "I would be disappointed if you wouldn't..." His words were barely a whisper, huskily spoken, and Sarah hated herself when her body trembled at the unchaste tone. She stared at the Goblin King, unable to rip her eyes from his odd eyes. Something humane -- hurtful flashed briefly on his face, and just as fast was veiled again. The Goblin King stood straight. "You called," his tone was again as cold as were his eyes. "What do you now want? Haven't I already given you all?"

A night breeze trailed after his words. It flew through slightly open windows, rocking the curtains along the way, and over her. Sarah shivered at the whispers from her past, echoing around her before fading in the shadows of the room.

_"Everything I've done, I've done for you…I move the stars for no one"_

"You gave me nothing," Sarah snapped out of reveries and recoiled, "but lies. And I never wanted anything from you. Just return my niece!"

He frowned at her. "I do not have to answer to your expectations anymore." He took a step forward and bent closer, hissing through his clasped teeth, "You have no power over me."

She froze at her place, unprepared for his words.

"Oh, yes. You are not the only who remembers," Jareth growled low, and Sarah cringed at his tone. "After you took your leap and spoke those very words in the centre of my domain…" His eyes glazed with hate and resentment. "I regained my world back."

She didn't understand; and Jareth, noticing her confusion, sneered, "It seems the age is starting to take its toll on you, Sarah..."

His words hurt, yet she pretended they didn't. She inhaled, forcing the pain inflicted on her by his mere word deep within, and said, "I never wanted to have power over you." Sarah shook her head. "I just wanted…want you to let Linda go."

"Haven't we already been through this?" He sounded bored. "What is said is said."

"Then let me run for her!" Sarah pledged. "Jareth, please!" She could hear the goblins snickering at her but paid no heed to them. "She's young and she didn't know what she said. Don't be cruel to her."

Her words seemed to amuse him greatly. Glancing at his tittering goblins, he raised his fingers on his chin and pondered.

"Very well," the Goblin King answered at last, returning his attention on Sarah. "I'll make an exception this time," A smile played at the corned of his mouth, "as I'm so generous…"

She flinched at his words, but he pretended he didn't see. "In any case, you are about to start your own run through my maze." He gloated at her expression. "Oh yes. Did you truly think I would let your call slip through my ears?"

Sarah's face turned dark, and he nearly smiled at the sight of her. "What? Cat caught your tongue?"

"Get on with it, your majesty" Sarah hissed, glaring. "I am well aware of what I said. As you should know."

He frowned, displeased or angered; it was hard to tell. "You called, we came. I won't bore us to death, since we both know what I'm supposed to say," he moved, pointing behind her back; and she turned, missing the calculative stare he gave her whilst baring her his teeth.

For a moment she was unable to move, seeing once again the familiar sight of pale orange sky and, far in the distance, the dark towers of the castle that she knew lay beyond the Goblin City.

"Labyrinth…" The sight escaped her lips. She could feel Jareth moving, stepping closer, like a shadow from her past returning to life.

"Yes, Sarah." He heaved, and his breath sent shivers across her spine. "My wonderful maze. You will find it quite different this time…"

She turned and, facing him, gave him a long look. His dark cape floated, hauled by the wind, and locks of his unruly mane glittered in the pale light like an unholy halo around his head. They stood on the silent hill together, just the two of us. Sarah saw no one around; the goblins had disappeared the moment they appeared on the sandy hill adorned by black naked trees. She gasped, recognizing the vile gleam in his eyes, and straightened her back.

"I beat you before. I beat you now."

"Such impudence and dare from someone of your age…" He mocked lightly, giving her a closer look and arched his brows. "Are you certain you are up to task?"

She clasped her teeth together, angered by his words, and returned his stare. "Just wait and see."

"Oh, I will," his words held no warmth as he frowned at her. "Have no fear of that..."

She bit her teeth.

"Oh," the Goblin King said, like remembering only then. "As I promised, I will give you your change to redeem that poor lost niece of yours." He shook his head in a mock disappointment. "Such a pity that she isn't doing well. Not at all, I must confess." He smiled maliciously. "She might be smart, but she is far too trusting for her age."

His words reminded Sarah once again of the image of Linda, scared and alone, two white clad women on her tail. Her heart clenched in the terror she felt for her. She pursed her lips together, banishing her fears. "I didn't ask your evaluation!" Sarah snapped, "She does just fine!"

"Oh, certainly…" the Goblin King snorted and bowed, "whatever you say." He straightened. "But if you happen to meet your so excellently doing niece and, despite of your talk, she would need you help, I, gracefully, allow you one change." He leered. "But should you fail…"Sarah shivered at the gleam in his eyes.

"I know!" Sarah cut in, unable and unwilling to hear him uttering the words out loud. She could not bear to hear them from his mouth, not for the second time. So she said them instead, "She'll become one of you. Forever!"

His eyes flickered shortly in annoyance. Shaking his head, he started fading from her sight, but she could still hear his word in the wind.

"_Not long at all…"_

Sarah stared the spot he had occupied just a moment ago, but the Goblin King was gone and she was alone. Slowly she turned around to take a took at the Labyrinth spreading in front of her. Her shoulders fell and she sighed,

"Come on, feet."


	10. Dreams of the Dark

Disclaimer: No Sues thank you, because -- precisely, it's not mine.

**LEGEND**

Dreams of the Dark

The shadows approached her, snarling. She could feel them breathing on her back.

Cobweb was tired. The shreds of her tattered wingers ached on each step she took, on each flutter she forced them to take, but she could not stop. She knew what was ought to happen should she give in to the weariness she felt. So she ran. Her feet glided over the dark pinnacles of the grass. She jumped over the gorges opening under the flower heads, strode ahead unyielding as fast as she could. Yet all the time she heard the shadows approaching. Like nightmares they followed her, panted on her trails and gained her.

_Hungry! Oh, so hungry!_ They moaned and gnarled. _Let us feast. Brothers and sisters - awake! _They yowled, and she could feel more shadows emerging from the ground, joining in the hunt.

_Do not stop! Search! Find! Take her down to the death of our dreams! _

She shivered at the sound of their howls, nearly losing her footing. Fast she regained her balance and kept on going.

The garden reeked of wrongness. It felt rotten and vile. Cobweb did feel it the moment the human girl stepped through the gate; immediately at the sight of the twilight scene, the fairy realized where the girl led them. Cobweb scowled while she continued her flee. How the human could be so ignorant not to feel it? She panted and jumped over the swaying petals unable to understand what made the Labyrinth to lead the girl here. The fairy would have never guessed the girl would have been drawn to Nightfall's Land.

Even Cobweb had heard of the shadows of this place. The King was said to with his own hands bury in the ground of Nightfall's Land the dreams of those who failed and lost their faith. The fairies did not venture in the maze but they had ears and they listened. And like all within Goblin King's realm, the fairies knew the last time he had visited this place he had been stonefaced and grey.

None spoke of it, but all knew.

She leaped over the pale rose blossom. It waved underneath her steps, sending stuporing cloud of aromas in the air. Her eyes watered and she gasped, nearly fainting at the strength of the scent. She stooped when a lone shadow emerged from the ground. It hovered in front of her, slithering and pale. She realized it must have separated from its pack to run meet her ahead. Afraid, she stared the creature shivering underneath her gaze uncertainly -- mutilated and abandoned dream, trying to gain back its shape. Its hope.

_Little meat,_ it growled. _How nice of you to come and feed me._ It smiled, and she perceived sharp teeth in its mouth.

Cobweb screamed when the shadow attacked. She ducked, falling down from the petal. She felt the flimsy material, a shade of frightening coldness sliding over her, through her, making her freeze until the bones.

She panted, laying on the ground and lifted her face, glancing behind her amazed of her luck. The shadowbeast had missed. She watched as it pulled back and, turning around, glared her with its red gleaming eyes.

_Little meat…you make me feeling foul, _It hissed. _I think I shall only kill you._

It sprinted on the move, and, drained, Cobweb scrambled back on her feet, starting her flight anew. But she didn't find her strength anymore. The shadow, whilst missing her, had still succeeded to wound her. Cobweb felt her hopes leaking through the gash. Smelling her fear, the shadow howled.

The words whispered to her, surrounded her like pale shades of herself. _It is useless_...They whispered. _You have no strength_. _Do not fight anymore._ _You are doomed to die, to fail…_

She nearly cried.

The shadow breathed on her. Its mouth nearly touched her wings, whilst it clasped its teeth and snarled. She dared not to glance back, afraid of what she might see, knowing this was a run she was doomed to lose. But she couldn't stop.

Cobweb felt the pawns touching her heels, coldness seeping inside and draining her at last. She stumbled and fell.

_I have you now!_ The shadow grumbled in glee. But still she refused to look and reached forward, crawling on her fours. The fairy heard the beast howling at his pack, the sound echoing ghostlike in the silent garden. And then it stepped forward. The shadow of the nightmare came upon her.

She closed her eyes and prepared to die.

The beast howled again.

And then it happened. The ground gave underneath her like it would have been a dream -- an illusion. She plunged through the hole without having time to even gasp. The cold air brushed against her face, and her eyes fluttered open. The fairy stared the dark abyss and heard the beasts' desperate growls – they had missed their prey.

The air current dragged and hauled her like a leaf. She was tossed on her back, and, staring up, she discerned the gleaming eyes on the rim of the pit she had fallen in. They howled once again, and then darkness claimed her.

The wind ripped her as she fell.

…so low…

…down…

She barely realized she was in the air. Her torn wings whispered in her ears. The shadows still followed her; and hissed.

_To die, to sleep. Without air there is no life…_

_Yes. _She was, ah, so tired and didn't want to live. She could never again fly.

_Give in. Die._ The shadows told her softly. _In death you'll find the peace._

But her wings, they declined. Clumsily, sorely, they fluttered once, and then twice. They still tried.

The fairy didn't fly. She could not anymore, but neither did she fall. Like a feather she floated downwards. She wanted to die, but her wings didn't allow her to. The shadows that had poured out of her followed, snarling and whispering at her. But she could not obey. Her wings had their own life. The time that she soared down felt like an eternity, but at last her feet hit on the hard ground. She landed on stones and, laying on her stomach, stayed still, barely breathing.

She shivered. She was so cold.

"Who goes 'ere?" The sound came from the darkness. Even through her haze, she thought she recognized the voice.

She sighed.

"Who nows bothers and pains me? Just, just -- leave me alone!" The owner grumbled tiredly.

She was too drained to move, to speak. The fairy didn't reply -- couldn't reply. She had no strength to even heave. She heard a scratching sound, panting, and someone crawling nearer. Cobweb felt hands groping the ground around her, closing in and finally touching her. The skin of the hands was callused, on blisters and tiny scars. Surprised of the contact, the hands broke off and were pulled hastily back.

He waited, and then approached her another time. The same hands touched the fairy again, cupping gently around her and lifted her from the ground.

The person, cloaked by and with darkness, weighted her in his hands. The fingers caressed fleetingly her wings. He froze and, like she would have burnt him, dropped her.

Cobweb winced when her body slammed against the cold stones. She nearly lost her consciousness, weak from the blood oozing out of her scratches and wounds. The fairy hoped she would have fainted. She was certain she was about to die.

Then something unexpected happened. Cobweb could never forget the words he then said. The shadows, still whispering in her ears, disappeared like a fog or nightmares that were cast away at the sight of the first light.

"Ugh, fairies!" He spat. "From all the habitants, he sends fairies! For Labyrinth's sake!"

She heard a scratching sound, and again. He hit a flint, his breathing laboured and feverish. Cobweb saw the sparks, like fireflies appearing and dying. At last he succeeded. The red light cast the darkness away, and Cobweb whimpered, recognizing her tormentors' face.

The dwarf.

"What 're ya doing 're?" Hoggle asked, suspicious, and leaned closer. "Speak out or you'll be dead sooner' ya'll breath yar name. I swear."


	11. In the Oubliette

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

In the Oubliette

"Speak up! No showin' me yar can't!" Hoggle demanded and snorted. "I know ya fairies…" His yellow teeth flashed in the darkness the feeble flame barely warded off, "…for haven't I already killed my share of yous…?"

Her strength returned, Cobweb hissed at the scruffy dwarf, but he only leered.

"Now, now…" Hoggle flourished his finger at her. "'This no way to behave! I wanna hear wha' brings ya 'ere? And none o' tha' mute-things either. I know fairies," He spat on the ground, "…are the worst gossipers in th' whole Underground."

"Murderer!" Cobweb growled low. "The Fairy killer! I won't speak a word, know that!"

"Oh, spare me from yar rage," Hoggle snickered. "I might not have my spray, but I can always use my legs instead." He stood up, hovering his enormous foot above her, and Cobweb screamed as he stomped it to the ground next to her. The delicate ray of sparking light on the dark rock near-by flickered and nearly died.

She fell on her knees and shouted, "Vile and mean dwarf! I liked the girl more!"

He froze, placed his foot down and, kneeling, asked suspiciously, an odd gleam in his eyes_ -- a hope?_ "Th' girl?"

"I tell you nothing," Cobweb hissed. "You have fallen from his grace."

He snorted. "I never were there. As all of ya know."

She whimpered as his hand rose, and the shadows re-appeared, whispering their deadly horrors in her ears. Cobweb embraced herself and cried with more bravery she was feeling, "Mean dwarf! The girl-lady will give pull your ears off. She will, I know that."

His eyes narrowed. His round, muffled nose wavered as he stared at the fairy. "Enough already! Tell me if that's true -- there's a runner above?" His tone was ardent, hopeful even, but Cobweb only crossed her arms.

"I tell you nothing," the fairy said stubbornly.

Hoggle snorted and leaned closer. "Oh, yes ya will," he said. "Or I'll tear yar wings." With a surprising agility, he bent and grasped her in his hands before she had time to scream. Squeezing so hard Cobweb could hardly even breathe, the dwarf lifted her up and shook her. "Now, speak up -- or ya'll be a past fairy afore ya even know tha'."

"She came from Aboveground," Cobweb sobbed, afraid and sensing the nightmarish shadows lingering near again. "The Maze led her to Nightfall's Land, and the King lured her in his crystal. I came with her and fell here. That is all I know!"

"Her name, what's her name?" Hoggle demanded impatiently, shaking her more fiercely.

"L--Linda," she hiccupped.

His face fell. The hungry look in his eyes died, and his grasp loosened a bit. "Oh…"

"What?" Cobweb stared him unable to move or to understand his reaction. But the shadows that had drawn near, pulled back. Relieved, she could feel them disappearing from her mind. Where they left, she did not care. She felt about her the callused hands of the dwarf, returned her attention back to him, and the realization hit her at last. She gasped. Unbelieving her ears, she spat, "You thought it was_ her_ – the king-breaker!"

"Ya assume too much," Hoggle grunted dissatisfied.

The fairy grimaced. "The stone-crusher and heart-breaker. She's never coming back!"

"Ya shut your mouth, will ya?" The dwarf snapped. "I'll crush ya!"

"You promised, and I told you all!" She cried desperately, remembering again the advices of the elders when his grasp tightened on her.

He leered, leaning over. "Well, ya shoulda know never to trust a dwarf…"

"No!" Cobweb cried, tears in her eyes. "I beg you! I haven't done anything to harm you!"

He stared her a long time, and finally his hold loosened. "Ya're right," he sighed, crestfallen. "I'm behaving like _him._ Like a pig. My name might be Hoggle, but a hog I ain't!"

He released her, placed her on the cold stone floor and said, "Go! Leave me be."

She nearly obeyed, then stopped. Looking around in the dark pit that barely was illuminated by his weak flame, she turned to meet the dwarf. Why was the Gateguard in a place such as this?

"What is this place?"

"'this an oubliette," he muttered, avoiding her gaze, his shoulders slumbered. "Place ya put people to forget about them."

Cobweb's eyes flung open. She took a hesitant step closer, incredulous of what he had said. "_He_ sent you here?"

"As a punishment," Hoggle sighed, turning to look at her over his shoulders. "I helped _her_, ya know?"

"But..." Cobweb shivered, looking up. "This place is beneath the Nightfall's Land!"

Hoggle gave her a sad smile. "Why do ya think, I keep in the dark? For my own amusement?" He shook his head. "Nay, they sense it, th' light – th' creatures. I keep in the dark, and they don't find me. Occasionally, I guess, he sends someone here. To see if I am already dead. But I ain't yet." He lifted his fist and shook it up. "Ya hear me, Goblin King. I -- Hoggle is still alive!"

Cobweb shivered at his words, and something unfamiliar -- nearly hurtful appeared in her heart. Even in the dim light she could see the tattered clothes of the dwarf, the half-aloof patches on the legs of his trousers. How long had the dwarf been here? She cast her eyes fast away when Hoggle turned to look at her.

A doubtful expression on his face, he slowly asked, "But why do ya care? It's no tha' ya'd miss me at th' outer wall…"

The fairy stared keenly her feet. "Not really…" She admitted.

The dwarf inspected her closer and, noticing only then her tattered appearance, said, "But ya look like ya've gone through a lot." He sat down the ground, near the wavering light that cast tall shadows on his tired and pale face. He took the hat off his head, wiping his forehead, and the baldie of his head gleamed softly. He gestured Cobweb to step closer. "Come 'ere," Hoggle told, his tone suddenly gentle -- resigned. "Lemme look at ya. Maybe I can fix some of yar scars…"

"Why would I trust in you?" Cobweb stared him. "Why would you help me?"

He smiled sadly and pointed at around them. "Looks like ya're not going any'ere soon. Like me, ya're now trapped 'ere."

She stared at him a long time before, finally, resigned, obeyed. She slumbered on the ground, not daring to approach the dwarf too much. But the light was nice, Cobweb decided; and she was tired, hungry and cold. So, she stayed.

"Well," Hoggle said after a while. "What made ya to leave th' wall. It's not that ya fairies would normally care for th' runners…"

Cobweb sighed, remembering the gentle hands of the girl. The soft pile of her dark hair --it had been such a nice sleeping place.

"I promised to help her…"

"For what? Ya fairies work for the King. I knows tha'."

"Look at me!" Cobweb cried then, pointing at her tattered wings. "My kin would have killed me if I had stayed! What's the use for a fairy that cannot fly…?"

He gave her a linger look and asked, "What'ever happened to ya?"

She shrugged. "After you…disappeared, the webmonsters came. They spun their nets everywhere…" She shivered, "and they hunt us down. Eat us. The King does not care of us -- not anymore."

He fell silent. "But why did ya leave with tha' runner…" He searched for the name, "Linda?"

"She rescued me," Cobweb said, "and she was nice." She smiled dreamily. "I loved her hair. It was like threads of the finest silk spun from the night. She smelled good," the fairy sighed, "…and she gave me my name - Cobweb."

"Oh? Ya fairies don't have one?" He bent his browns, surprised.

Cobweb shook her head violently, and her white hair flew on her face. "What's the use for names, when a fairy feels the thoughts of another?"

"Even now?"

Cobweb cast down her head, "I'm no part of the nest any longer..." She said no more, and Hoggle remained silent.

Finally the fairy lifted her head and looked at Hoggle. "But the King has lured Linda in a dream now. And she will surely die…"

Hoggle's face wavered at her words. "Tha' doesn't sound like him…" He said.

"He's changed," the fairy said silently. "He cares not of lives anymore. He even has a mirror-beast as his aid."

Disgusted, Hoggle spat on the ground. "Ugh! Never liked of those! Vile creatures, they!"

Absentminded, the fairy gave him a nod. The sat in silence, but both of them froze immediately when hearing a scratching sound.

"Nightmares!" Hoggle hissed before turning to face Cobweb. "They sense the light. I have to turn it down."

She could feel her face turning white and glanced around but saw only the dark gleaming rock around them. _An oubliette… _She had heard of them, everyone in the Underground had, but never in her life would she have thought to end up there.

She could hear faint sound of falling water echoing around them and shivered when her ears picked up the sound Hoggle had mentioned about. Something was moving towards them, nearly void of a sound, barely scraping the rocks. The piercing coldness entered in her bones; and Cobweb remembered then how her shadows had suddenly disappeared. She shivered, knowing where they had gone. Scared and wide-eyed she looked at the dwarf and whispered through her parched lips,

"Too late. They are already here."


	12. Swallowed by the Moon

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Labyrinth

**LEGEND**

Swallowed by the Moon

Happiness wasn't the first word Sarah would have used to express her feelings for her return to the Underground, she thought while trailing her fingers over stonewall. Remembering the Goblin King's scorn, her jaw set and she wowed she _would_ reach the end of the Labyrinth and rescue her niece too. And she would recite the lines right at the Goblin King's gloating face! She longed to see that cocky expression to falter and crumble. The obnoxious swine!

Albeit there remained the problem she didn't remember the lines anymore. Sarah sighed. Well, another thing she should mull over during her run.

Getting in the Labyrinth had been surprisingly easy, although Sarah had been disappointed not to see Hoggle at the gates. She suspected the dwarf might have been absent for an extensive time. Apparently nobody kept an eye on the place anymore. The trees and stones were covered with white web, and there were far too many fairies for her taste. Sarah still remembered her lesson. She avoided confronting the nasty little creatures and looked for a door.

It was all about asking right questions, she decided whilst stepping through the illusionary wall.

_"Knock; and the door will open..."  
_  
-- or ask the walls to allow her in. She could barely hide her glee. Some of the advantages age brought, Sarah thought and stopped. Unable to recognize the place she had arrived at, she looked around, surprised. Tall trees cast shadows over her. An eerie silence lingered between the trunks, and little bird chirped amidst the foliage.

Finally she shrugged her shoulders. Jareth had said the Labyrinth would be different. Somehow it made sense. She certainly didn't keep rag dolls, puzzles or miniature mazes on her table. Sarah suspected the Labyrinth changed to challenge the abilities of each runner, but if that was the case, on whose Labyrinth she then was -- hers or Linda's? Her expression thoughtful, Sarah glanced at around and stepped under the cool shades of the trees. What had happened to Linda, and how had the King succeeded to snare her here?

o O o

"Linda!" Mother called her slowly and softly. "Come out, come out, wherever you are…"

She giggled hiding in the shadows of the staircase. Mom was getting closer. Linda could see the top of her head turning, while she crawled on the floor. Jessica perked her head behind the couches. "Linda…" She called again.

Linda giggled once more and sprinted to run. Her mother's head turned at the sound of her move. She cried, "Aha! I can hear you!" Jessica took after her, laughing.

Linda stopped in front of the staircase. Glancing over her shoulders at her mother Linda took a step. The board under creaked loudly. She hesitated. The shadows of the upstairs loomed in her sight. Her heart fluttered nervously in her chest while she stared at the edge of the topmost stair.

"I see you now…" Mom was giggling. At her words, Linda took another step and run.

It was silent upstairs. The lights were low, and the long shades of the king-sized cabinet and the bench further away lay on the floor like shivering pools of dusk, anticipating the fall of night. Her head turned from side-to-side, and she knelt to look under the furniture, but they didn't provide space in where to crawl. She could already hear the stair boards squeaking – mom would be upstairs soon. The sight of the closed door at the end of the corridor made her shiver. There was no way she would voluntary go to attic -- it was a scary place!

During nights, Linda heard strange sounds coming upstairs, like crying and sometimes tittering. She knew it was a ghost, although mom and dad just laughed and said it was the bird that wouldn't leave.

"God knows what it sees in this wretched house," dad had laughed. "Maybe it eats the mice…"

But Linda knew otherwise. There was something that lurked in the shadows and waited. A ghost.

There -- a door. How come she hadn't seen it before? She got on her toes, barely reaching the handle, and turned. The hinges creaked when the door was pushed ajar. She glanced behind her, she could see mother's shadow sliding through the walls; and slipping inside the room, she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

The room was silent and dark. It smelled of dust and cobwebs. Outlines of branches of the near-by tree cast their shapes on the floor like tentacles. Inhaling the moist air, Linda's gaze wandered around the room, the hair of her skin standing up. She nearly pulled back. But then she saw the mirror.

She stepped forward, staring at the murky image the dusty surface reflected back: a little girl with hair on buns. She smiled at the sight of her cherry blossom colored dress. Aunt Sarah had brought it to her only few days ago, and, staring at her image, Linda decided she almost looked like an adult with her white pantyhose, fine dress and hair tied down. She frowned suddenly. The only thing she was lacking was the height. But she would grow, Linda remembered dad's word; and the thought returned her smile.

Linda blinked her eyes and looked at side. She didn't hear her mother's voice anymore. She was about to turn when she discerned a light -- a flash in the mirror. And then the man appeared there. Linda's jaw fell down. Her gaze followed him walking towards her, approaching from the other side of the mirror. He stopped, lifted his hand and wiped the dust away.

The man was tall and blond, like dad. But where dad had short hair, his grew long and wild. And he wore odd clothes too - a dark jacket and breeches. Maybe he was a ballet dancer? His eyes were just narrow lines while he inspected her, stone faced and silent.

Warily, Linda returned his look. "Hello," she finally said. "Who are you?"

His smile broke the facet of his face. "Hello Linda…" His low voice sounded almost like a purr, and he stared at her oddly. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Are you a stranger, mister?" Linda asked. "Mom has told me not to speak with strangers, you see."

The smile on his face deepened, and Linda backed away. The smile appeared more like a mix of leer and frown.

"I know your Aunt…" He said slowly. "If I know her, I can not be a stranger, now can I?"

"Sarah?" Linda repeated, forgetting her anxiety, accepting his odd logic. "She's nice!" She cried enthusiastically.

Something flickered on his face -- a disgusted frown, but Linda didn't notice. Her hands caressed the hem of her skirt. "She gave me my dress," Linda told, lifting her gaze back at the man. "I'm like a princess, she said."

"You want to be a princess?" The man asked her and, eyebrows arched, watched her intensively. "I'm a King," he told, signalling behind his back. "Look. There's my Kingdom."

Hesitantly Linda took a step closer and gasped when she distinguished the view from the other side: tiny rooftops of mosaic houses, dispersed around like in a colourful jigsaw -- a wonderful city, and further away high walls, treetops and pale brown hills.

"That's my Labyrinth," The man told, pointing the view. "I created it. It obeys my will. I rule all that you see." He smiled at Linda. "Would you like to be the Princess of the Labyrinth? I can make it happen…"

Linda furrowed her brows, thinking hard. Father always called her his little doll -- His Princess. Why would she want something she already was? Slowly, she shook her head in dismal.

"Are you certain?" The man asked, surprised. "Being a princess is really nice."

"That's really kind of you, mister," Linda said. "But I don't want that…"

The man inhaled deep. "Come now, Linda. I can give you anything you want…" Looking at her slyly, he crossed his fingers; and, transfixed, she saw him pulling a gleaming glassball from thin air. She stepped forward.

"What is it?"

His lips twisted at her question. "It's a crystal, nothing more…" He said, moving and joggling the crystal in his hands. "But if you turn it this way…"

"What?"

She was so close her nose was nearly pressed against the mirror.

He knelt, the crystal dancing on his glove-covered fingers. "It'll show you your dreams…" He whispered.

She stared at the item he held and then the man. "Does it make them real too?" Linda asked, suddenly concerned.

"Certainly, little one…" He bared his teeth. "All of them…"

"Ooh!" She sighed astonished, anticipation gleaming in her eyes. Only barely Linda succeeded to rip her stare off the crystal and look at the man. "Can I have it, please?"

"Of course," the man said. "Just step through the glass, and I'll give it to you."

"How do I do that?" Linda beckoned her head, hesitant, and the man smiled.

"It's very easy," he told. "First you have to wish for it really hard, Linda."

"I do!" Linda cried softly. "Mister, I promise that I wish that!"

He gave her a pleased nod. "That's my girl," he purred, leaning a bit closer. "Then you only have to say it out loud."

"Oh, what? Please, tell me!" She begged eyes fixed on the item he held temptingly in his hands, so near yet far. "Your crystal is so very nice…"

The man grinned amused at her. "You just have to say you wish to have the crystal," he told softly, eyes gleaming eagerly, "…and it will be yours."

She inhaled deep. "I wish…"

His expression didn't change, but Linda felt him tensing, and something dark -- hungry flickered on his face. She shut her mouth, suddenly afraid. His eyes narrowed, and he looked at her, swaying the crystal back and forth. "I thought you wanted it?"

She chewed her lips, staring at the enchanting glass he had, and then asked, "How do I get back home?"

The smile on his face wavered at her question. "I thought you wanted to see my Labyrinth…"

"I do, mister," Linda confessed. "But, I'm playing hide-and-seek with mom. And I want her to find me." She smiled brightly. "Mom's not very good, and I have to let her know where I am. Otherwise she wouldn't find me."

He waved impatiently his hand. "She'll find you, Linda. Just say you wish for my crystal!"

Slowly, she shook her head and backed from the mirror.

"Linda!" He snapped. "Say it!"

"Can't I come later?" Linda asked. "I really, really want to see my mom now. She must be worried."

"No, Linda," the man said angrily. "You can have your dreams for only once. You have to wish. Now."

"I don't' want your crystal anymore! Keep it! I go to find my mom!" Linda shouted. She spun on her heels and run to the door, eager to get away from the man. She took on the handle and pulled hard.

"It won't open," Linda froze when she heard his cold tone, and then, without glancing behind, kept on yanking the door. Finally, when the door remained stubbornly closed, she turned to look at the mirror-man. He was standing and staring at her his face in a sneer. "Come here, Linda!" The man ordered, but she just shook her head.

"Go away!" She cried. "I don't want to! I want my mom!" She nearly sobbed, leaning against the door. Her lips wavered and tears welled in her eyes. "You can't be Aunt Sarah's friend," she accused. "She's nice, but you're not! You're just a nasty old man!"

His teeth clasped together. Even away, Linda heard the sound. "Ungrateful brat," he snarled, "Just like your Aunt."

"I don't wish for your crystal!" Linda cried. "I just wish you'd go away! I wish my mom…" She sobbed, burying her head in her hands. "I wish for my mom…"

_"Darling…"_ She felt a soft touch on her head. _"Why are you crying? I'm here…" _Her mother embraced her and whispered. _"Linda, I'm right here…"_

Her back sore, she realized she lay on a hard and cold stone. Her head felt dizzy from the dream, and her mouth tasted odd -- like peaches or sweet wine. She froze, hearing ghost-like whispers around her. And then, at the feeling of cold fingers touching her, Linda opened her eyes.

She screamed.

A/N: A longer chapter for a change - since it's not enough for two. And anyway, I need to slow down with this story and concentrate on other things -- like my work. But, few comments wouldn't hurt to inspire me in writing more... #hint#


	13. Monsters Inc

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Labyrinth. Please, can someone give me one?

**LEGEND**

Monsters Inc.

She escaped. Uncaring of the bruises and dizziness, she jumped on her feet, springing into move, and fled the shrouded women, their weeps echoing in her ears. Shivering from fear, Linda ran. She jolted at their cry as they took after her and followed her into the darkness she had plunged into. She saw nothing, but heard them following; singing.

Linda's feet slipped on the moist ground. Her bare feet ached of the coldness emitting from the stones; the chill seeped into her bones. Her breath rasped in her throat. Linda tripped but didn't dare to stop. She scrambled up and continued. Linda yelped when her toe hit against a stone, then against another, but still she didn't pause. She ran blind, hearing the fluttering of the cloths. Like bats, the women kept on coming behind.

Her heart pounded in her chest so hard it nearly hurt. She jumped and then -- the ground gave beneath; she barely had time to scream. Her foothold lost, arms fell open, almost as to embrace the dark, she fell down.

The women reached her laying half-senseless in the dark. They stopped, soundless, and bent down. She sobbed feeling cold fingers on her face.

"Silent, child," the voices soothed her, "Be calm."

Tears poured through her eyes, trickled down the skin, wetted her cheek and her hair. "P-please..." Linda hiccupped, blinking her eyes, trying to see -- something. "Let me go…"

_Sh, sh, sh, _they hissed, and something cold slid on her arm, curling around as embracing. She recoiled.

"Silent, child," the voices told, "It shall be better, thou shall see. Only a morsus, no danger in that."

Blinded and dazed she shivered, the coldness sliding onwards on her skin. Linda screamed. Her flesh burnt, a soaring pain reaped her consciousness as sharp fangs sunk into her flesh. She felt the hands grasping at her, and with unexpected strength the women lifted her up.

Her arm hurt, ached, burnt in where she had been bitten. Her blood coursed through her veins, but she shivered -- cold. Her eyes shut close, through the haze and the pain, distantly, as through smoke, she heard the women lamenting,

"_The miles of pain, the pain we suffer  
and all for nothing, all for pain, more pain,  
the anguish, oh, the grief too much to bear…"_

Languid, tired, and without any strength she tussled and tried to shake loose to no avail. The ladies kept on going, still weeping,

"…_Ayeeh, sister lost, sister gained,  
the pain is too much… Thou shall know, the pain…"_

The darkness gave into red light. Through the feverish haze she felt being lowered down on a cold stone. The hard surface -- how it hurt. She winced.

"Be calm," the ladies sung, hands caressing her forehead, "woman-child. Sister, be calm."

_Sh, sh, sh,_ they said.

Linda felt their cool hands touching and stroking. She groaned, turned her head and heard small stones crumbling beneath their feet. The women circled around, and Linda perceived the sound of their veils, fluttering and waving.

"A moment more, be calm. The Furies keep to their word." The women lulled, stepping further away.

"Aeei! Aeei!" They sung, and her eyes flung open at the anguish voices. Her ears hummed. She heard hissing and whispers and saw shadows flickering on the walls. The torches burnt low, and a stinging sense of incense lingered in her nose. The white shabby cloaks fluttered as the women danced and swayed gracefully around her.

Abruptly they stopped. Staring at her, they lifted hands on their white veils. Their face were revealed at the same time, and Linda gasped at the sight of the hideous, repulsing face. Shadows danced on hollow ashen cheeks. Eyes burning they stared at her; and then the older woman, bony as a spider, stepped forward. She leaned upon her, and her long, thin nose shivered. Sniffing Linda, she heaved, and her sharp needle-like chin cast a shadow on her. "Sister, welcometh…"

Her baldie gleamed in the red light; only few thick stripes of her hair remained. The shifter restlessly while she moved. Linda shivered and turned away, looking at the other woman. She was no better, barely younger than a crow. She swayed silently, and her thick hair glittered in the darkness, moved and swarmed like a nest of something alive. One of the thick hairs rose and licked its tongue. Another hair stirred next to the earlier one.

It was when Linda realized what they were. Where the whispers she heard came from.

Linda recoiled, shivered and twisted from side-to-side. The blood burnt! Her heart, her stomach, all of her was in fire.

"No!" She cried, her back convulsed in an inhumane curve. "NO!" Her head pressed against the stone. Her hair felt so cold, her head so heavy. She could not feel her fingers. She wept when the tendrils of her hair moved across her head, alive.

Moving restlessly, the snakes of her hair whispered and licked the tears in her eyes.

_Sh, sh, sh... _They said.

o O o

"They are here!" Cobweb jumped on her feet and hissed again looking at Hoggle. "Didn't you hear? We must flee!"

Hoggle didn't move. His shoulders slumbered he stared at the ground listlessly. Finally he brought his gaze up, looking at the fairy, and asked, "Where to?"

She froze at his words, finally realizing the reason for dwarf's lethargy.

_Where to?_

Tears pricked in her eyes, and the bitter coldness seeped into her bones. She shivered, sensing the nightmares crawling closer. The obelisk stone gleamed around, unyielding and hard. The eerie silence of the prison of the Goblin King whispered at her. It mocked them. Her shoulders fell down, and she collapsed on her knees.

They remained silent, waiting. The shadows drew near, and the small flame on the stone flickered, nearly died.

Cobweb lifted her head and looked at the dwarf, meeting his gaze. His dark eyes gleamed as he stared at the fairy, fiddling a shiny bracelet around his wrist; and then he smiled resignedly.

They waited.

A sudden screech made them both jolt. The sound was like a gravestone had been moved. The whole ground trembled. What was left from the color of her face, drained away, and, looking at the dwarf, Cobweb recognized the same terror on Hoggle's face.

The nightmares disappeared. Their oppressive presence evaporated and pulled back as terrified. The fairy sighed, not understanding what might have caused their reaction. The ground trembled again. Small pebbles rained upon her, and, shrieking, Cobweb stood up. In the weak light she fathomed Hoggle swaying up on his legs while taking support from the rock next to him. The whole oubliette quaked. Small stones fell down, and the force of the tremor flung the fairy in air. She squeaked in fright.

She fluttered her wings once -- twice. She soared in the air, barely. And then her world went blank, her lungs emptied of air from the force of a falling stone hitting on her. She fell down --

-- straight on to Hoggle's callused hands.

"Yar alright?" The dwarf asked.

She gave him a nod, her heart jumpy, the blood gushing in her veins. She heard the sound again: an agonizing screech that made her to shudder. Hoggle pulled, nearly crushed the fairy against his chest. She was about to protest, when, freezing, she realized he was trying to protect her. His heart thumped, restlessly and loudly.

The tremor and the noise stopped. A cold draft invaded the cave, and the feeble flame Hoggle had kept on the ground, flickered -- once again. And died. They were left alone in the dark. Silently they embraced each other and prepared for the worst.

Suddenly she heard a raspy voice speaking from the dark. "Now, now…what have we here?"

The darkness was chased off by a wraithlike, cold light. Cobweb blinked her eyes and felt Hoggle to gasp and jolt. Impatiently she pushed his fingers out of her sight; and froze.

The stone monster lay on the ground and looked upon them. Baring his teeth, he licked his lips.

"A dwarf…" His eyes narrowed when he saw Cobweb in Hoggle's hands, and he started to laugh. "And a fairy too!" The Sphinx leered wickedly and rose on his gargantuan paws. His tail wagged the ground as he stepped closer, making it tremble.

"It seems that my day might be saved after all…"

A/N: I got carried away. Apparently I just have to write until I reach the end.


	14. Riddles in the Dark

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

Riddles in the Dark

"Ya're…ya're a Sphinx!" Hoggle stammered, and the beast grinned nastily. Corner of his mouth twisted, and the dwarf could see a sharp row of shiny teeth flashing in the eerie light. He backed off.

"Of course I am. What did you think I was – a rodent?" The Sphinx snorted and wagged his tail.

"But, but…ya're a _he_!"

"Oh really!" He snorted. "A dwarf that can see! Would someone, please, kill me!" He cried and snarled at Hoggle, slowly circling around him and Cobweb. The dust flew in the air as his pawns hit the ground. "What did you think? That the Sphinxes are born of stone? Of course there are male Sphinxes too!"

Hoggle blushed viciously at his words, still trying to retreat, and halted. He looked around. "Where…where 're th' nightmares?" He stammered questioningly.

His tail sway up and down as a whip, and his mouth opened in a bored yawn. "I have nothing to fear from dreams. We Sphinxes do not sleep."

Hoggle stared at the beast, mouth jarred open. "But…" He scraped his head.

"They feared you," Cobweb said silently, "and everybody knows, they fear nothing…"

The Sphinx grinned at her while seating down, and scratched the back of his ear. Sharp obelisk claws flashed, and Hoggle yanked a frightened breath. The loud rasping echoed in the oubliette, and, glittering, like a gush of small diamonds, the dust fell down from his head. "They fear His Majesty," the Sphinx reminded, stretching his neck and lowered his pawn back on the ground.

"'Cause he created them…" Hoggle muttered, staring at his feet. "That sniveling pig…"

"Why now…" He said with a mock surprise. "It seems His Majesty has some ungrateful subjects."

"I'm no subject of him," Hoggle spat. "He sent me 'ere."

"With due reason, I assume…" The Sphinx snickered. "This oubliette is the most desolate and deepest one in the whole Underground. He sents here those committing the worst crime of them all…" His tone fell down as he leaned closer to two, "…a treason."

"I've done nothin' wrong!" Hoggle grumbled defensively.

He sat straight, watching the dwarf in spurn. "Yet, here you are."

"Oh, quit playing games!" Cobweb suddenly cried frustrated. "Just tell, why did you come?"

He rumbled displeased, rising on his pawns, and his tale wagged restlessly again. "I was commanded to guard here, beneath Nightfall's Land. And so few get here…." The Sphinx complained a disgusted frown on his beastly face.

"Ya wanna spend time with us?" Hoggle finally found courage to ask.

He halted and gave them a sly look, grinning. "I've become bored," he confessed. "I find nightmares tedious company."

"Oh?" Hoggle dampened his lips and briefly glanced at the fairy. "What did ya have in mind?"

He flashed his sharp teeth. "Guess…"

They looked at each other, and finally Hoggle turned to meet the monster. "Err… riddling, I takes, would be a safe bet?"

The answer they received was even deeper grin. "Whatever gave me away?" The beast asked amused.

"Somehow it figures…" Hoggle muttered and, eyeing the Sphinx, asked hesitantly, "I think we have no other alternative…?"

"The way I see…" He pretended to think for a while before answering, "…no."

Hoggle sighed desperately. "I'm no good at riddles. Ya should search some other to bother, ya know?"

"Oh! But that's precisely the joy in riddles..." He sounded smug at himself, "I always win."

"Wait a moment," Cobweb interrupted the gloating beast. "But what if we win instead?"

He barked out an amused laugh and bent closer. Hoggle shivered when feeling the breath of the beast against his skin. The beast smelled of wet soil, moss -- and something he nearly recognized, like an old book. Dust and age. "Fairy! You have no idea whom you are talking to…"

"It could be possible," Cobweb met the Sphinx's stony gaze unflinching. It occurred to Hoggle only then she didn't seem to be scared. "And even more important, we don't know the stakes that we would be playing for."

His face twisted in surprise as he stared at them. "Your lives of course!"

"But ya were gonna kill us anyway!" Hoggle cried out loud, staggering backwards and nearly tripped when his feet hit against a cold rock. The fairy whimpered at his movement and grasped tightly on his hands. Feeling her sharp claws boring into his skin, Hoggle suppressed a shout of agony. Regaining his balance, he hastily handed the fairy down.

"Oh no," The Sphinx sounded offended. "I was going to kill you slowly…" He explained and then smiled brightly. "But if you would happen to win, I'll be fair and grant you a swift death instead. There, am I not nice…?" He sounded enormously content with himself.

"Hardly nice…nor fair," Cobweb muttered, trying to tidy up her scrunched wings, and glared at the dwarf, before turning to look at the monster. "And you have the advantage anyway." The fairy accused.

"Precisely!" The Sphinx laughed delightedly. "And because I am the one giving the challenge, I shall start now. Tell me an answer to this -- or meet your death…" He took a breath and lowered his body down, pinning them down against the wall of the oubliette.

"_Five hundred begins it, five hundred ends it,  
Five in the middle is seen;  
First of all figures, the first of all letters,  
Take up their stations between.  
Join all together, and then you will bring  
Before you the name of an eminent king."_

Hoggle scratched his head, staring at the beast. "Jareth…?" He finally asked questioningly.

The fairy hissed angrily and glared at the dwarf. "Idiot! Where do you see numbers in his name! David is the answer," She turned to meet the stonefaced creature and shouted, "David, we say! D is five hundred in its both ends; V is five in the middle, I is the number one and A is the first alphabet, and, therefore, also first figures. Together they create a name "David", who used to be a king." She noticed the dwarf staring at her and asked obnoxiously. "What? You thought we fairies couldn't read?"

The Sphinx snarled displeased. His stone tail waved restlessly as he stared at the fairy, "Very well. That is correct." He kept a small break, collecting his calm, and then turned to look at the dwarf. "It means it's your turn now." There was no doubt about it. He was leering. "Dwarf, you may ask…"

Hoggle paled and swallowed. Cursing that the only thing that came in his mind was a silly rhyme from that senseless fox, sir Didymus, he opened his mouth, briefly wondering what might have happened to him. Hoggle's heart ached a little at the thought of his old friend.

"_I'm as plain to see as black & white.  
I prefer to roam about at night.  
Just don't attack or startle me  
Or odiferous emissions may result you see.  
I'm an omnivore yes it's true.  
But what's my name tell me do._

He fell silent, shivering, and watched the beast contemplating his words. With good luck, the riddle would be so silly, the Sphinx have never even heard of it. The Sphinx stretched, correcting his position, and yawned. His teeth gleamed in the dark. And then, to Hoggle's terror, he grinned and answered,

"_Yes I'm a Skunk it's Plain to see.  
Just black and white, yes that's me.  
Attack or startle me, and you'll know.  
How far my stink can really go.  
Plants & bugs I eat all sorts.  
Just stay clear of me and my cohorts."_

"A skunk?" The fairy gasped, turning around and, unbelievingly, stared at Hoggle. "You ask of skunks, in a place like this, from a creature like him?" She pointed at the Sphinx.

Hoggle shrugged his shoulders. "I'm no good at this…" He grumbled. "I told ya so. And tha' ain't mine riddle. I learnt it from a friend…"

"For heaven's sake! Then you've better not to try at all!" The fairy hissed and turned to look at the Sphinx. "It's my turn now." She said, stepping courageously forward. "Answer this, you beast!"

"_A cloud was my mother,  
the wind is my father,  
my son is the cool stream,  
and my daughter is the fruit of the land.  
A rainbow is my bed,  
the earth my final resting place,  
and I'm the torment of man.  
What am I?"_

The Sphinx started to laugh. "That is a good one, little fairy," He said, the echo of his laughter still booming in Hoggle's ears, "But I have heard it from the stars. And the answer is rain." He was clearly enjoying himself when he asked a new riddle.

"_A headless man had a letter to write;  
It was read by a man who had lost his sight.  
The dumb repeated it word for word;  
And deaf was he who listened and heard."_

The fairy sneered and, keeping her head up, answered, "Simple! The letter in question is the letter "O", because it is zero. And zero is nothing. Therefore, the man without a head has nothing to write, and the blind cannot read. Then, obviously, the mute person, unable to repeat nothing, could say nothing; and the deaf man listened and heard nothing."

"You are good at this," Hoggle muttered in awe, hesitant respect in his voice.

"What do you think we do all the time? Fly from a flower to flower. " Cobweb snorted obnoxiously, turning to look at him. "That would be boring, you must realize." She spun around and said, "It's my turn again." She started to speak so fast Hoggle couldn't follow her words. They sounded like a rain, a dream...He blinked his eyes, listening.

"_Many-manned scud-thumper,  
Maker of worn wood,  
Shrub-ruster,  
Sky-mocker,  
Rave! Portly pusher,  
Wind-slave."_

The Sphinx remained silent for a long time, his eyes half-closed. He seemed to be in deep thoughts.

The silence stretched.

"Ya don't know!" Hoggle cried out at last, his heart fluttering in his chest. Maybe they could somehow bargain their way out of the situation after all?

At his word, he jerked up his head. "Of course I know!" The Sphinx said coldly. "I was just trying to remember who asked me the same riddle before." He fell in silence and spoke softly. "It was a runner, during the days I lived above in the light and the warmth, before I was placed to guard the treasures of the High King…" His voice wavered longingly and his expression turned tender, then he shook his head, shaking off his reveries, and looked up. "But, the answer is the ocean. I believe it's once again your turn, dwarf."

Hoggle stared blankly ahead, trying to remember something. He could feel Cobwen moving restlessly at his feet. Hoggle's thoughts wandered to the runner the fairy had accompanied, and he sighed. He missed Sarah. She would certainly invent something, like at the time just before the peach. He winced at the memory; he had been such a coward. Hoggle sighed again wondering if he was any better now. He smiled, ruefully at the thought, seeing it once again in front of his eyes like yesterday...

_After his riddle, Didymus fell in silence, and Sarah burst in laughter. She laughed so much tears sprung from her eyes. "Truly, valiant sir knight," she said finally, comforting the crestfallen fox. "That was the most uplifting riddle I've ever heard…I honestly appreciated it, sir Didymus."_

"_Thou, milady, areth the most kind," he answered pleased, strutting his chest, and then asked. "But, pray, haveth thou also a riddle to tell?"_

Hoggle wiggled his eyebrows, trying to remember. _What had she told…? Oh, yes. _He looked up.

"On a Sunday late afternoon in a mansion there was a house with a man dead in the library. The people in the house called the police. The police called a professor. The professor called the people who were working in the house. The driver said he was washing the car. The cooker said he was cooking. The person that was tidying said she was cleaning up. The laundry man said he was collecting the mail. The professor told the police to arrest the laundry man. Why didn't he arrest the other three?" Hoggle asked the Sphinx and prepared to hear the Sphinx laughing again.

Instead, the Sphinx stared at him, a curious expression on his face, twitching his ears, and then asked,

"What is a car?"


	15. Once Upon a Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

Once Upon a Time

He fell in silence and blinked his eyes. "Eh?"

"A car. Never heard of those," The Sphinx repeated patiently. "What is it?"

"Er," Hoggle stammered uncertainly, staring at the monster, not quite believing what to tell. Then the idea finally penetrated his hazy thoughts. The realization nearly swept his legs under him. He stood a bit straighter bringing his gaze upon the Sphinx.

"Well, nows…" Hoggle grinned at the beast mockingly. "I think we need to discuss the rules a bit more throughout"

The stone tail swayed high-and-low while the beast ogled at the dwarf nastily. His mineral eyes sparkled and shimmered, and he grumbled. The sound trembled the ground, and the dwarf backed as the stone lion approached him threateningly. He pressed his eyes tightly together, leaning against the cold stonewall.

The Sphinx sniffed Hoggle, poking his chest with his cold snout before he pulled back and finally sat down. He snarled once more, his tail hitting against the ground.

"What are you suggesting?" He asked at last.

Hoggle's eyes flung open. Not quite believing he still was in one piece, trembling, he corrected his cap and stepped cautiously forward. "A safe passage," Hoggle said.

The sharp teeth flashed in the dark. "Oh, no…" The Sphinx shook his head nearly amusedly. "But I can promise not to kill you," he said.

"And leave us here," Hoggle snorted. "I don't think so." The beast snarled, but this time Hoggle stayed on his place. "I want ya to show us a way out 'ere."

The Sphinx seemed to ponder the words and beckoned his head. His stone wings rustled and moved, and the screeching sound echoed in the oubliette, making the dwarf to clasp his teeth tightly together.

"Say…I tell you where the exit is…?" The Sphinx suggested after awhile.

"And, I bet, leave us on the mercy of the nightmares," Cobweb muttered under her breath.

The Sphinx snarled at the fairy, lowering his head, and slammed his teeth angrily together. "I have a code of honour, unlike you fairies!"

She retreated behind Hoggle's legs. "Mean monster! The fairy cried. "What do you know about fairies anyway?"

He growled. "Enough not to trust in them." The Sphinx brought his head up and gazed at Hoggle sharply. "You are unwise to have her as your companion…"

"And look who's speakin'…" Hoggle muttered under his breath.

"Don't press your luck, dwarf!" The Sphinx snarled leaning closer to the dwarf. "Or you'll be dead sooner you blink your eyes." His teeth shimmered in the odd blue-tinted light sharply. "And at the moment, your luck has nearly expired…"

"But the riddle!" Hoggle cried nervously. "Ya haven't answered yet!"

He snorted. "Simple," The Sphinx said while budging his ears. "The laundry man was guilty because he was supposed to do the laundry!" The beast spat. "Don't insult my intelligence, you twit!"

"Oh no…" Hoggle shook his head. "I wouldn't dare… " He nearly grinned. "The problem, ya see, is tha' not the correct answer."

"What!" The beast bellowed. "You claim I'm wrong?"

"Yeah, I do," he confirmed, still smiling and enjoying the situation. "I think we seriously have to set some ground rules thus onward."

Suddenly the beast started to laugh. He straightened his back, and the echo of his deep rumbling voice echoed a long time in the dark cave. He returned his gaze back at Hoggle and the fairy. "Alright," the Sphinx said. "We have a deal. You explain me what is a car and also tell the answer to the riddle. I'll spare your lives and lead you away."

"No." Hoggle shook his head. "How stupid you think we are? I don't tell ya before we're safe."

His tail swayed restlessly.

"A compromise," the beast suggested. "Explanation for the car now and the answer to riddle when you are out?"

"Sounds reasonable," Cobweb muttered behind Hoggle's legs.

"I'm a reasonable Sphinx," the beast smiled, looking at Hoggle wilily. "It's a fair offer." He kept a pause. "And my last one…"

Hoggle felt blood rushing from his face. He fingered his collar nervously and hawked. "I—don't know." He finally confessed. "Never seen a car meself. Never asked either."

"What?" He stepped closer and his snout pressed against Hoggle, nearly crushing him against the oubliette's cold and slimy wall. "You are going to die, with an answer or not…"

"Wait!" Cobweb squeaked below and waved at the Sphinx, snaring his attention to her. She pulled back as the Sphinx lowered his head to get a closer look at the fairy. "My runner knows what a car is, I'm certain!" The fairy spoke hastily. "She's from Aboveground."

Hoggle felt the snout of the beast pulling back. The Sphinx sat down, staring a long time at the fairy, and then returning his attention to Hoggle. Finally the Sphinx spoke, his ears fluttering anxiously. "Very well. We have a deal. I will help you out. We will search for this runner of yours…" He looked at Cobweb. "And you better pray she can explain it. Or you both shall pay dearly…"

Hoggle wasn't certain anymore if this bargain was such a good idea. But what was he ought to do? His shoulders slumbered and he sighed.

"Agreed."

o O o

Sarah had run through the eerie forest for ages now, at least that how it felt like. She was gasping and panting, cursing along the way her lack of exercising. Her heart feel like it would stop, and finally Sarah slowed down her pace, panting. Briefly Sarah wondered would it be possible to die in a heart attack in Labyrinth as her heart was trembling nearly as in arrhythmia.

She glanced around while progressing thought the moist fog-covered ground and wondering, how it was possible the forest to be so silent and empty. She had not seen a single living creature during her journey. The moss growing on the tree braches hung above her, and the trees cast their long shadows on her. That was why she suddenly stopped when she saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which stared at her. The bird started chirping and sung so delightfully that she couldn't move. The melody nearly pierced her heart and brought tears in her eyes.

But when the song was over, it spread it wings and flew away before her. Sarah took after and followed the bird through the silent woods, stumbling on the branches and brushwood unable to rip her eyes off the shiny lithe creature.

The bird disappeared behind a small hill, and she stopped leaning against her legs and gasping, when the wind brought to her a scent of baked ginger bread and cookies. Sarah inhaled deep and stood up. The scent was coming behind the slope where the bird had flown. Carefully she climbed and peaked down behind the trees.

She gasped and then snorted. "I should have guessed," Sarah muttered darkly.

Below the shallow slope, in a small clearing amidst of felled trees, was a small hut. The bird was sitting on the rooftops and chirping. Pale sunlight cast feeble light through the trunks and foliage. The light glittered on the building's caramel-colored rooftop, the chimney and the white sugar-coated windows and walls.

Just in front of the candy house two small persons stumbled forward the front door. A lone figure stood still and waited.

She didn't stop to think. She recognized the scene immediately, and as her feet sprinted into move, she galloped down the hill.

"No!" Sarah cried. "Don't go in!"

The children turned around, and she stopped when discerning them properly. A small boy and a girl, maybe twins, so much alike they looked like. The children held hands tightly together, and their cheeks were hollow and their eyes deep in their face. She had never in her life seen so dirty, so feeble looking creatures. Only barely they stayed on their feet.

"I'm hungry, mom," the boy whispered and bared his rotten teeth.

"And you left us in the woods…" The girl chimed in.

Sarah felt the blood freezing in her veins as she back-stepped.

"We are so very hungry, but you don't give us food!" They cried tear falling on their face. "You're so cruel!"

"That's right, my child," the old lady standing on the doorstep said gently. "She prevents you from evolving. She envies you… You are young, but she's old." She brought her gleaming gaze upon Sarah. "I say it's time to punish her…"

Sarah stared the kids in aghast. They stepped up closer, returning her gaze with their black hungry eyes.

"Yes…" They whispered and bared their sharp teeth. "We'll take her, we'll bake her, and we'll suck her bones. We will make her pay…"


	16. You’ve Changed

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

You've Changed

Sarah staggered on her feet, trying to get away from the children. But it was like her feet would have been glued to the ground; she couldn't quite bring herself to believe in what she saw.

Yet, the children remained with their huge eyes, black sharp teeth, and their clawed hands stretched to grasp her. The old witch laughed gleefully behind, and it occurred to Sarah only then that her hair was surprisingly long and, instead of being grey, light blond. The witch was also leaner and a way lot taller than old ladies were supposed to be. Sarah brought her gaze up from the kids and recognized the sharp nose, the angular face that he hid beneath a red-and-white scarf.

"Sarah…" He grinned at her realizing she finally saw through his mask.

"You?" Sarah gasped.

He only leered and stood straight, shoving off the cape he had spun around him and revealing his regal outfit. He looked at her, and the sight of his foul smile freed Sarah at last. She spun around and took a step to flee from the ginger house.

_Chirp. Chirp. _

The bird sitting on the rooftop started singing, and at the sound, her feet lost their strength. She stumbled on the ground, the world buzzing and whirling in her ears and eyes. The mix of the heart-aching bird's song, his daunting laughter and children's shouts echoed in her head.

"_Catch her, tie her, and put her in a cage!  
Meat, plum and prime! Oh, to suck her bones.  
Crunch and crunch, we'll feed until it's late!  
Just lock her up and make a meal for us!"_

She felt tiny hands around her, squeezing her torso so hard she nearly fainted. The children hugged her, forcing the air out of her lungs. The tears surged from her eyes. She smelled their rotten clothes, dust and soil, as their bony figures pressed against her.

"Mom, you shall pay…" The children whispered, caressing her hair with their sharp nailed fingers. "We promise that…" They kissed her wet cheeks. "Mom…it's the payback time."

She cried feeling their sharp teeth on her skin, their tongue tasting her cheek. Behind, he was laughing, and the tone of his bitter voice pierced her consciousness. The darkness claimed her at last.

When she woke, it was still dark. She lay down, sniffing. The air was crowded with unpleasant, foul stench, and Sarah felt the dry ground underneath. She blinked her eyes, staring at the surroundings through her hazy gaze. She lay on her side in a small dirty cage. She could see wooden bars and withered wood walls at the opposite. She was in a stable? She blinked her eyes when pieces of the transpired fell on their place, and realized she was locked in the witch's stable, yet not by the witch, but Hansel and Gretel instead.

And what the heck had the Goblin King just done there? Sarah furrowed her brows, remembering his gleeful laughter, and something crumbled within her.

Suddenly she heard growling and a rustling sound. Shivering, she scrambled on her knees and looked around, her heart beating fast in her chest. There, in the darkness of the opposite corner, she saw a dark form. Sarah gasped and retreated against the hard wooden bars. Frightened, she stared at the red gleaming eyes of the beast.

The shadow moved. She could hear a clattering sound as the creature stepped up from the shade in the pale light. "What are you staring at, woman?" The beast growled baring his yellow teeth and shook his head. A metal chain around the neck rattled in the silent hut. "Never seen a wolf before?"

Mute, Sarah shook her head.

He snarled, shaking his shackles loudly. "Keep your eyes to yourself or I'll rip them off!"

"Master Wolf," another sound chided him. "There is no need to behave such a way. The Lady has just awoken. She must be scared."

Sarah heard the clattering sound again and saw another animal stepping up in her view. Sarah's eyes flung wide open at the sight of the small furry creature. At first her heart skipped a beat; she nearly imagined seeing the familiar shape of the fox standing in front of her. The feathery hat, red velvety jacket and black shiny boots were as a direct copy from Sir Didymus'. He bowed, stripping off his hat, and his lush tail swept the air with a loud 'swoosh'.

"You're -- you're a squirrel!" She cried softly, disappointed.

He straightened, and, wriggling his whiskers, gave her a cold look while placing the hat back on his head.

"_The _squirrel, if I may!" He corrected her. "And Sir Gurps is the name, I go by."

"Oh, I'm sorry, valiant Sir," Sarah corrected her words hastily. "For a moment I mistook you a friend of mine. Another knight."

"Oh?" His ears twitched and he looked her more friendly. "If I may inquire his name?"

She sighed. "Sir Didymus." Sarah pulled on her legs and tried to stand up, but nearly hit her head on the ceiling of her low cage. "Ouch!"

"Sir Didymus!" Sir Gurps cried excited and placed his pawn on his chest. Also the wolf shifted restlessly at the word. "The highly esteemed member of our brotherhood!" He watched her with appreciation, and his voice wavered . "Milady, you know him?"

Sarah chafed her head and took a hold on the wooden bars. "Yes," she said absentmindedly, trying to break the bars of her cell. "He became my friend last time I was in the Labyrinth." She shook the bars as hard she could, but they appeared to endure her efforts to break free. "Together with him and my other friends, I saved my brother Toby from the Goblin King," Sarah said.

The squirrel inhaled loudly. "You're -- you're Lady Sarah!" He cried, his tail sweeping the air agitatedly, and he glanced at the wolf, which returned his gaze with glowing red eyes, nearly growling.

"The one and only," Sarah sighed, letting go off the bar and tried another one instead.

"But," Sir Gurps gasped turning to look at the woman, "what are you doing here in that case?" He signalled around them and took a step forward. The shackles tying him to the floor clattered. He twitched his whiskers annoyed, and stared at Sarah while wiggling his big pointed ears. "You must realize His Majesty has been most vexed after his failure with you…"

Sarah snorted. "The mean bastard kidnapped my niece. I had not other options but to return."

The wolf yawned and settled down while asking her, "so you're running for her?"

"No," Sarah shook here head, slumbering on her knees after she realized the cage wouldn't yield to her. "I intend to find her from the Labyrinth so I can save her from the King."

The animals exchanged long looks and turned to look at her.

"I fear Milady Sarah," the squirrel said finally, "that you have been gravely mislead. The Runners never may meet each other. It is against the rules, and even His Majesty is unable to change them."

She brought her gaze up and stared at the squirrel. "What?" She cried. "But he said I would have one chance to help Linda!"

He looked at her sadly and shook his head. "Then he lied. You are running the Labyrinth in vain."

Her heart nearly stopped at the words, as she flung her hands on her face. "Oh no! What have I done!" Sarah gasped.

"Now, now…" Gurps tried to comfort her. "Maybe you can bargain with the King, if you are only doing this for you niece."

"No!" Sarah cried. "You don't understand! In order to get here, I wished myself away! I _have_ to run, or I'll lose myself to him."

"Oh, my…" The squirrel murmured, covering his mouth with his pawn.

"So, the legendary Lady Sarah," suddenly the wolf chuckled, and his red eyes gleamed as burning coals as he stared at the woman, "was outsmarted by the Goblin King after all."

"Hey!" Sarah snapped and glared at the animal. "Cut it out! I didn't ask your opinion. And how was I supposed to know he would be so different..." She shivered, remembering his cruel eyes and bitter laugh. "He's somehow changed…" Sarah murmured, rubbing her arm in thoughts.

Neither of the animals said anything, watching her intensely.

Sarah shook her head and sighed, scrambling back on her feet. "I need to get out of here!" She looked at the closed door and shivered remembering the hideous children. "I definitely don't wish to be dish of the day, be the eater a wicked witch or bunch of malevolent kids."

"Oh, the unlucky woman, peace on her soul..." The squirrel sighed miserably, pulling his hat from his head, and stared gloomily ahead. "She was the first they ate…"

"Yes," the wolf agreed, lowering his head on his paws, and stared the opposite wall crestfallen, "the poor woman. She shall be sorely missed."

Curious, Sarah glanced at them. "Well, yes," she agreed, "very poor; and poor us, unless we escape."

The squirrel glanced at Sarah. "Milady?" He fidgeted his hat in his paws. "You have a plan?"

She answered him and smiled. "As a matter of fact…"


	17. Dark Skies

The chapter has violence. I do hope it's still within the level of "T". If I'm wrong, please correct me, so I can change the rating higher.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

Dark Skies

He was watching the city and the dark clouds gathering above the Labyrinth. The bells echoed throughout the streets of the Goblin City, and their sound lingered and resonated in the stones of the castle, the buildings and the land. The storm was coming. The goblin knew that. The wind carried along their shouts, sound of the horns and screams. The wind fluttered his cape and hauled his unruly hair. His arms rested against the arch of the window as he inspected the landscape below.

"I told you to go and prepare yourself," he said without turning around, and Linda-creature stopped, amazed by his perception.

"My lord," she said. "Everything is ready. I travel swifter than the north wind when the call is done."

He sighed and finally turned to look at her. His gaunt face was lifeless, hard and grey. Only his eyes glimmered and glittered as burning embers when he took a step forward. Keenly, he watched her, his eyes flickering and flashing. "You have something else in your mind," he stated finally.

"I'm wondering…" the creature, _she_, said, her eyes cast down. "You gave her to the Sisters…" She brought her gaze up again, watching the impassive King. "Why?"

A shadow of a twisted smile appeared on his face. "I had my reasons," the Goblin King said.

"But…" She bit her lips, glancing briefly away.

"You're worried." The Goblin King said and strode pass her. He walked at the end of the room where a huge mirror, size of the whole wall, was hanging. He stopped, watching it and the shadows flickering beneath the gleaming surface. "…that I won't keep to my part in our contract."

He turned around uncaring of the hissing creatures that stretched their limbs toward him, trying to reach for him and drag him with them.

She hesitated only for a while. "Yes."

"Be at ease. You shall have your reward," the Goblin King smiled. "But I also gave a promise to _her_…" While speaking, he took a shiny orb from his waist, looking into it, and leered. His words were full of malevolence, "…and I intend to keep my word." He started to laugh, and the deep rumbling sound boomed in the room.

Hesitantly, she stepped forward, looking at the crystal and the image it revealed. When seeing what it was showing, she finally realized what he was about to do. The creature lifted her face and looked at the Goblin King, and, with reluctant respect, admitted. "You are a devious man, my King!"

"Why, thank you!" The Goblin King grinned, his eyes gleaming, and laughed again; and this time she joined him.

Far in the distance, the black storm clouds gathered together and waited for the rain to fall.

o O o

The hut was silent. Sarah lay still, wondering when the children would return. According to the wolf and Gurps their hunger was endless. They ate and ate and were never full. Both of the animals were terrified of the little monsters, having been in the stable nearly month's days by now.

"They feed you?" Sarah asked.

"More like force us to eat," the wolf grumbled displeased. "Luckily, I've always been skinny, and the little rat here…"

"I beg your pardon!" Gurps cried outraged, his ears pressed against his head, but the wolf didn't care of his protests.

"The rat is too small," he said, flashing his teeth, amused.

Gurps sighed exasperated. "Alas, my hips seem to be disagreeing with you, Master Wolf," said he and patted his behind with a woeful expression. "I fear that soon I will not be able to handle my sword, and the boughs that used to carry me with such an ease won't be strong enough to do so anymore..."

"A dreadful destiny indeed, Sir Squirrel," the wolf agreed.

Sarah stared at the distance in deep thoughts. "I wonder," she said at last, leaning against her elbows. "How His Majesty keeps their kind of creatures in his Labyrinth?" She shook her head and brought her gaze upon the animals. "I know things change." She smiled sadly. "I guess the Labyrinth resonates differently with each runner -- but, still… Everything appears to be much more deadlier and malicious. I wonder if that is normal?"

Uncertainly, the animals glanced at each other, until Gurps finally scratched his head and cleared his throat. "Milady…I must say to your question that the answer might…" He was interrupted. They heard giggling and snickering outside the hut.

"They're coming!" Sarah gasped, pushing her contemplations out of her mind, and gave a sharp look at the animals. "You remember your tasks?"

"Fear not, Lady Sarah!" Gurps assured and hit his chest. "We will do as told to. We will defend you against these monster children! You have my word on that."

"Thank you, valiant Sir Gurps," she nearly smiled and gave a nod at the knight, before setting herself down. Sarah closed her eyes and waited.

The door creaked on its hinges. She heard crunching sound as small stones crumbled beneath the footfalls.

"Mom, mom," the children called her softly, but she kept her eyes tightly shut. "Mom, we are hungry. We want to eat." She could sense their eyes on her, waiting for her reaction. Finally, when she remained impassive, she heard them approaching the door of the cage and opening it. The intoxicating smell of rotten meat, dust and moss crowded the space. She nearly couldn't breathe. A pair of hands seized on her, hard and unyielding, and other one of the children bent down.

Her eyes fluttered open.

It was Hansel. He stared at her and smiled, his eyes flashing darkly. "We'll eat you now, mom," he whispered through his parched lips.

Sarah clasped her teeth together. "I don't think so!" She spat. Rolling on her side, she revealed the board she had hid beneath and grasped on it. Sarah hit -- hard. As the board met his face, she heard a loud crack. The board splintered in pieces, and Hansel staggered backwards, releasing his hold on her and covering his face. Blinded, he shouted out loud. Bringing up her knee, Sarah kicked as hard she could and sent the boy, flinging, to the other side of her cage. His shouts died, and he slumbered on the ground.

Standing at the door, witnessing the scene, Gretel screamed loudly. The voice echoed in the dim space, and, her eyes burning with rage, she stared at Sarah. With shivering hands she bent to re-lock the door of the cage while Sarah was still getting on her knees. Gurps, stalking in the shadows behind, jumped on Gretel then, and, sinking his teeth deep within the flesh on her neck, bit her.

"Get off me!"

Straining, she stretched to reach him and in vain tried to shake him off.

Sarah strode toward the door when someone clasped on her ankles. She nearly stumbled on the ground and, glancing down, saw the mashed face of Hansel. The boy spat blood and teeth out of his mouth.

"That wasn't nice thing to do, mom," he sputtered, the corner of his mouth red.

"You are not my child!" Sarah screamed trying to kick him off. "Let go!"

"Aeei!" Gretel cried at the door, struggling to release herself from the squirrel knight that clung onto her tightly. Finally, her hands coiled around him and ripped him off her back. "You monster!" The girl cried, flinging the squirrel to the ground and lifted her foot, stamping on him.

The loud clattering of the shackles was her only alarm, when the wolf jumped on her and sunk his teeth in her. She screamed again and turned to look at the beast.

His back was curved, and his fur stood up, as he growled at the girl low.

"Why…" Gretel hissed. "Mean dog! No food for you anymore!" She stepped forward, and his tail bent across his legs the wolf backed off, still growling.

At the same time, Sarah was struggling to get rid off Hansel, who was clinging on her with surprising persistency.

"Let me go!" Sarah hissed; swinging her leg back-and-forth, and finally smashed it at his face. Sickening crunch echoed around, and when hearing it, Gretel turned, screaming.

"No! Hansel!" She cried, rushed inside and, jumping on Sarah, forced her down.

Sarah's lungs emptied from air, and she felt the bony hands clawing her face and pressing her against the ground. Gretel's fingers curled around her throat and squeezed. Desperately, Sarah tried to push her away. But with surprising strength, the girl resisted. Her face hovered above Sarah, and black spit fell from her mouth. She snarled while strangling the woman.

"Bad, bad mom! Hitting your child! I just have to kill you now."

She hiccupped and desperately tried to rip Gretel's fingers off, but they were stone hard and just strangled her more tightly. Sarah placed her hands against the girl and pushed, but like an iron weight, the girl staid on her chest. The lack of oxygen started to make her woozy. Sarah couldn't see anymore, and black dots appeared in her eyes. Desperately, she tried to gasp for air.

"You will pay!" The girl growled, leaning closer. Her bad-smelling breath brought an acid taste to Sarah's mouth. Desperately, blinded, suffocating, she flung her hands on her side and tried to grope -- anything in her hands. At last her hands hit on something; a splinter of the board she had hit Hansel. Her fingers curled around the wood, and, almost unconscious, she struck it in Gretel's head. She heard a disgusting sound as the stick plunged into the girl's skull, and at the instant, Gretel's hands loosened on her. Sighing, the girl fell down.

Sarah lay down and gasped for air, frozen. Her body was trembling, and, panting loudly, she stared at the roof above her. When she finally was able to move, she sprung fast on her feet, scared of the homicidal kids. She glanced at them. Terrified, Sarah flung her hand, covering her mouth. Nearly vomiting, unable to look at the kids, she staggered from the cage. She stopped at the door, panting and leaning against the frame, shivering and feeling sick inside.

She could not believe.

When Sarah finally brought up her face, she met the glowing eyes of the wolf. He lay down next to a small lifeless form, and tears rolled down his snout.

He shook his head. "I was so scared …" He whispered, terrified, and lowered his face in shame. "I came too late…"

She gasped. The strength fleeted her legs, and she fell on her knees. "Oh, Sir Gurps!" Sarah cried and crawled next to the wolf. Hesitantly, she touched the red chest of the squirrel and shivered feeling the moisture. The blood smeared her fingers.

"No…" She sighed, her hands trembling, and looked at the wolf. "He can not be dead!" Sarah begged him to answer. "What will Sir Didymus say?"

"My friend, I'm so sorry," the wolf sobbed, gently nudging the inert knight, and repeated. "I was scared…"

Sarah couldn't bear to answer. Burying her face in her hands, she bent down and cried.

A/N: This was a hard chapter to write with all the action. Hopefully I succeeded at least somehow. Thanks for all the reviewers! You're really making my day!


	18. Under the Stars

**Disclaime**r: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

Under the Stars

Although Sarah knew her time was scarce, she just couldn't bring herself to leave the squirrel on the floor of the stable. They buried Sir Gurps together with the wolf, said their blessings; and he shed big bright tears at the grave.

"The noblest and the bravest creature I ever knew…" he sobbed. "It should have been me."

Sarah patted him on a shoulder, unable to offer him any true solace.

They left the ginger house with heavy hearts. Silently, the wolf followed Sarah his head hanging down. And she shivered, remembering, while the shadows of the transpired followed on her footsteps. _Murderer…_ Her thoughts whispered her, hanging on the boughs of the trees, the moss-covered stones and the grass waving on her feet. _Cold and cruel like your mother. Uncaring and unkind. Just like before…_

The remaining trip through the forest was silent and gloomy.

Finally, the trees started to grow thinner, yet the dusk remained. The edge of the forest lingered in her sight, but, hesitant, Sarah slowed down her pace. Warily, she stepped from the forest to a silent meadow, and her gaze wanderer at the scenery. Gentle night breeze swayed the straws. Like a dark ocean, the lawn fluctuated and hissed, continuing far in the distance. A silvery moon hung above, its sickle casting the beams on the ground together with tiny lights – the stars. The moonbeam shimmered on the grass, creating a sparkling bridge.

She gasped, glancing behind. The eerie forest appeared similar than before. Pale light played on the trunks, the fog circled lazily around the brown bark and olive-green moss. Dusk lingered between the trees, but where the forest stopped, the night begun. She turned and stared at the open landscape ahead her, her heart wary and scared. She didn't see the castle of the Goblin King anywhere at her sight.

"Wolf?" Sarah turned to the animal.

"Hn," grumbled he devastated without even bothering to lift his head.

"Do you know where the Goblin King's castle is?" Sarah asked.

He sighed and glanced gloomily ahead. "On the Otherside," said the wolf, "where the Day begins."

Sarah's brows arched up at his cryptic answer, but the wolf didn't explain his words, only allowed his head to plunge down once again. He sighed loudly.

"You don't have to come with me," Sarah said finally, pity boring through her heart.

He shook his head. "No…" the wolf muttered. "I owe it to Gurps. He would have wanted me to help the legendary Lady Sarah." He bit his lips as preventing saying more.

"Hardly legendary," Sarah muttered, shifting her attention down on her feet. "only old and weary."

He looked up, and his eyes flashed. "The age has no true meaning," the wolf said. "In the Underground, time, as you understand, doesn't exist."

She let out a bitter laugh, thinking of her dyed hair and the lotions she put each morning on her face, apparently in vain, based on the amount of her present roles. "How convenient… But alas, I live in the Aboveground where time affects, withers -- and kills." She fell in silence and, looking at the landscape thoughtfully, mused out loud. "Albeit, that would explain why the last time I was merely an hour away…"

She froze, hearing a familiar voice suddenly behind her. "That was because I re-ordered the time for you."

Spinning around, Sarah's eyes met the stare of the Goblin King, who leaned against a tree trunk. The moss slithered on the branches as alive.

"You!" She spat, stepping backwards and remembering how he had only a short time ago left her at the mercy of the children. He _had _changed. "What are you doing here?"

"Sarah…" He stood up and approached her, his lips in a thin smile. His eyes flickered when he stopped and asked instead. "How do you find my Labyrinth this time?"

She bit her lips, forcing herself to meet his taunting gaze. He might have changed, but so had she. "Do you seriously expect me to answer?"

"That would be polite," the man agreed.

Sarah took a deep breath. "It's…different."

He smiled briefly and glanced at the miserable wolf on her side. His smile changed into a leer. "I see you've found yourself another eel instead of that Hogfart."

"Hoggle," Sarah corrected.

The wolf growled. "Watch your words, Goblin King…" His eyes flashed and for a moment burned bright red, before the color withered away. He sighed.

Unruffled by the threat, the King smiled and lifted his hand, pointing behind Sarah. "You have already lost nearly quarter of your hours." The golden clock with her name on it appeared to the air. The pointers were approaching the four. He glanced at Sarah, stretching his words lazily. "And your niece has even less time left." Another clock appeared next to the earlier one. Elegant writing shimmered on it, forming Linda's name. Sarah gasped, realizing its time was already half past twelve.

She spun around. "No!"

"Oh, yes…" Jareth grinned. "And your precious princess is not even near to the end…"

Sarah stood still, her thoughts racing madly through her head, and cast her eyes down. Chewing her lip, she lifted up her face.

"Why do you come?"

He was so smug. Sarah could sense it as he lifted his hand and offered her his palm.

"To suggest a bargain…"

"How is that I'm not surprised…?" Sarah answered, retreating.

"Tsk, tsk," Jareth reprimanded her, swaying his finger at her. "I have a very generous offer." He kept a small pause. "I can give your niece more time…"

Sarah nearly snorted. "At what cost?"

His teeth flashed as he bent closer. The night breeze caught the sleeve of his cape, fluttering it around him. His hair shimmered in the pale moonlight, and his face was covered with shadows. Only his eyes remained, burning through her, as he whispered, "Yours…"

She fell in silence, glancing at the clocks and furrowed her brows. Finally she turned to look at the Goblin King.

"And how much would you leave me with?"

"I'm not unreasonable." He shrugged his should. "I will exchange two of yours to one."

"That's hardly generous, I tell you that," Sarah muttered.

"Now, now, Sarah," Jareth mocked. "You claim that bending and re-ordering time wouldn't be a generous gesture?" He leaned towards her. "Or maybe you wish Linda to fall…?"

She didn't bother to reply, thinking. Finally, Sarah sighed. "Alright, Goblin King," glancing at him, she told, "I accept your offer. Give Linda more time."

He extended his arm, and she spun around. Following, she watched the pointers of the two clocks starting to move. The one on the left hurried forward; the pointers running through the five, six, seven, eight -- and approaching nine. The pointers in the smaller one, in Linda's clock, also shifted, but backwards, and a lot more slower. They roller backwards to eleven, ten and half, ten... Finally, the clock stopped.

Sarah turned around, preparing to ask him the question burning on her tongue, and clasped her mouth shut, seeing nothing but lingering dusk. The King had already disappeared.

The wolf sighed. "That," he said, glancing at Sarah, "was something I would describe legendarily stupid."

Silently, Sarah agreed with him.

The haughty sound of the ticking clocks echoing in their ears, Sarah and the wolf approached the lawn. The straws were fluctuating, swaying against the hill they stood on. Sarah stared at the meadow and suddenly knelt down. She tried to place her hand on the grass, and gasped, feeling it sliding through, like the grass would have been water or liquid. Her hand met no ground.

She looked up at the wolf, covering a yawn with her hand. "Now, here's a problem," said she, her eyes drooping. "How do we," she yawned again and continued, "reach the other side?"

His lips twitched in a smile. "Otherside," he corrected, sitting on his legs and scratching his ears, and finally pointed his snout towards the shimmering moon bridge. "My Lady Sarah, that is why we have pons," he said, "to be able to cross the seas."

The silent and eerie moon hovered above them as they proceeded. Sarah glanced at the lawn, swaying around, and the straws of the grass shimmering and shifting beneath their footfalls.

"What is this place?" She dared not to speak out loud, but merely whispered.

The wolf glanced at her. "The Sea of Slumber," he replied. "You should beware not to step astray."

She gasped, glancing around, and repeated. "Sea of Slumber…"

"We should be quiet," the wolf told after awhile. "The Lady of the Night does not look well those trespassing her domain."

Sarah glanced at him, but dared not to speak more. In silence, they kept on going underneath the watchful eyes of the silvery moon. The gentle wind shook the lawn and caressed Sarah's ears.

_Beware…a _soft woman's voice sighed and, following her, whispered, leaving her shivering. _The dreams of love have nearly died. Lady of the Goblin King's heart, you are running out of time…Beware._


	19. The Gates of the Dawn

**Disclaimer(s)**: I don't own Labyrinth. Jim Henson does. Nor do I own the poem. (c) see the announcement below.

**LEGEND**

The Gates of the Dawn

The journey through the Sea of Slumber went surprisingly fast. Before she knew, they started to approach the end of the nightly meadow. Sarah already perceived a thin orange line at the horizon, the dawn, and energized of the sight moved faster. She realized only then when the wolf was many feet behind her that he wasn't following. She looked at him.

"What is it?" Sarah asked.

He hrn'ed, not answering at first and then said. "The gates are closed."

She turned around. "What gat--" the question died in her mouth.

"That gate," the wolf said, stepping next to her.

Cautiously, they proceeded through the shimmering moon bridge.

A huge dwelling stood on their way, blocking the road to the Otherside. A gate was too little to say. It was more like a wall with soaring high pillars that shone blinding white in the moonlight, decorated with complex spiral ornaments, gold lettering and pictures of oxes, eagles and horses. The wall stretched to both sides, portraying on the left side a statue of a woman lapped up in shawl, a toga. The cloth was depicted with tiniest details, each fold of the fabric descending on her body, each curl of her loose hair falling beneath the hood. She looked down on them, her marble eyes empty, her lips cast in a weak, dreamy smile. A moon circle hovered on her forehead.

On the right side of the gate was placed a statue of a man with a golden aureole around his head. Looking straight ahead, he stood in a golden chariot, his eyes piercing and all-seeing. He too wore a toga, a shorter one that left his shoulders bare. In his hand he held reigns of his bull drawn chariot. The animals were digging the ground, all ready to run, breathing fire and air out of their nostrils.

Sarah glanced at the wolf. "How do we pass?"

Displeased, he growled, "We cannot, until Dawn opens the gates."

"Oh," she exhaled and asked, "Do you know when it arrives?"

"She, not it" the wolf corrected her once again, "Dawn. And no, I don't know when she arrives." The wolf shivered. "But I know we don't want to run into her."

"She's bad?" Sarah asked nervously.

He glanced at her sideways. "You have no idea…" He shook his head. "But maybe we get lucky. Maybe she will let us pass."

"And maybe not," a cold voice spoke behind them, and, jolting, they both turned around.

The wings were the first thing Sarah noticed. Prism-like, transparent, they hovered and cast rainbow colors on her white skin. The cloth she wore barely covered her, revealing the lush body and exposing the smooth skin on her breast and décolletage. A rose wine circled her waist and her shoulder keeping the toga at its place. With her flawless skin and face she looked barely older than Linda, but something in her appearance told the opposite. Her eyes had turned to crinkled lines as she stared at them, her gaze hard.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Lady." Smoothly, the wolf bowed before her. "We are merely by-passing." He nudged his head towards Sarah. "I'm escorting the Runner on her way to meet the Goblin King."

"Not to meet," Sarah muttered, "but to win."

"Fools!" the woman laughed haughtily. "The Dream King is not to be crossed," she paused, staring at them icily. "Or to be won."

Sarah's mouth tightened in a thin line as she returned her obnoxious glare and pulled her head up. "I've done it earlier," said she. "I see no difference to now."

The woman gasped and looked at the wolf. "My sister let _her _through?"

And at her words, Sarah remembered the voice that had followed and whispered to her while they had crossed the nightly meadow. "She spoke with the wind…" she murmured, realizing, and lifted up her face. "She was following us."

"Oh! She's such a boor!" the woman cried out loud and glared at Sarah. "I will not accept this. It's all your fault!"

"Do not chastise her for things she hasn't done," a loud male voice spoke out suddenly. Surprised, Sarah glanced around, but saw nothing but swaying dark grass and silvery moonlight gleaming on their top. Only after awhile, she noticed the winged woman's attention was turned above their head, and Sarah turned. Her jaw fell as she understood she had heard the statue's voice. he had lowered the reigns he held in his hands and looked down at them.

"I know all that I see, and I see all. The blame is his and his alone," his voice bellowed all around.

The winged woman returned the stare with a burning glare and a sour expression on her face. "Stay put, brother!" She hissed. "I'm yet to open the gate and I will not do it with her wandering about."

The statue shook his head. "You are letting your instinct take the best out of you," he sighed "Again."

"I do not care!" The woman stamped her feet on the bridge, exposing the skin her scarce clothing already revealed more than Sarah hoped to see. "I have craved and yearned and I get what I want. I'm not called for nothing the rosy-fingered goddess of dawn. I know he'll by mine when she's gone."

Also the woman statue moved then. "Let it be, sister" she said with a small frown on her marble face. The moon on the forehead flashed as she lifted her hands on her chest while tilting her head. Her voice echoed in the silent meadow softly and sadly. Sarah recognized the familiar tone. "His heart has been unreachable then and now. Don't make yourself believe in vain in a stillborn dream."

"It's not fair!" the young goddess wailed. "Look at her, she's so old!"

"Why, thank you…" Sarah muttered.

"Better old than dead," the male statue answered, sounding amused. "But with the Shadow Sisters and the mirror-beast set loose, she's our only hope."

"What can she do?" The goddess snorted. "She has no powers I see."

"Infuriating Dawn!" the man cried. "Will you not obey your elders? You must let her pass!"

She backed off and straightened her back, shouting back, "I will not!"

"Don't be a lout," the woman ordered. "Sister, you know what is to become if you now prevent her run."

"What do I care? There are other runners, and she had her chance. Let someone else do her job." After saying so, she turned her gaze on Sarah and smiled menacingly. "You will not reach the castle," she hissed. "I will see to that."

Her wings fluttered and swayed, and the moonlight gleamed on the locks of her glittering blond hair. The roses around her waist slithered and rustled, and Sarah swore she heard them talking. The wolf growled at the goddess, but she just frowned and almost carelessly flipped her hand. Sarah felt a gust of wind caressing her face, dragging her hair and finally making her to stagger. The wind grew, and the wolf yelped. Hurriedly, she turned and saw him falling down.

"Wolf!" Calling out for him, Sarah rushed to help him.

"Stupid woman!" he grumbled angrily while trying to regain his balance. "You should run!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Sarah bit her teeth, her arms around his neck. She froze, hearing a deep grumble rising from his throat and, gasping, spun around only to see the goddess to step forward.

"Sister!" Sarah heard the statues to call after the goddess but she paid no heed to them. She lifted her hand on a blooming rose, plugging a thorn from the wine. While still in her fingers, the thorn crept, shivered and grew until it looked like a long needle. Sarah had no time to even back off. The goddess bent and shoved the thorn into her heart.

Gasping, Sarah stared at the white face, the blood gushing in her ears, unable to breath. Her mouth hung open, and something burned her chest and her heart. Desperately, Sarah tried to shove off the hands of the goddess pushing the thorn in her flesh to no avail. The hands were cold and hard, adamant-like.

"He will be mine!" the goddess hissed, returning her stare, and with the last strong thrust shoved the thorn in her flesh all the way until its base.

Sarah cried. The pain -- it was too much. She could not see! She hardly heard through her own cries the statues angry shouts and the wolf howl. Someone laughed. Through the burning pain, she felt hands being placed on her chest. Unable to move, she wailed, under pressure of being pushed down. Still crying, Sarah fell.

Darkness took her in, and she fell.

_Oh, it hurt. Too much, too much. It hurt! How it hurt. Hurt. There was no one, and she was alone, and she was so weary and scared. It was dark, and no one helped. She was tired. It hurt! She would die! She was going to die, and it hurt, hurt, and she was all alone. She was scared. She was going to die_.

The darkness took her in, and still she fell…

Suddenly, hands clasped on her shoulders, hauling her up. She blinked her eyes, crying, still feeling the pain. She couldn't speak or breathe. She moaned and felt strong hands seizing on her, forcing her to stay still, but she could not. Struggling, she tried to shrink back, recoiled. It hurt. It hurt! She cried. No! No! No!

She froze.

-- the pain stopped. The pressure at her chest was pulled away. Sarah gasped for air, memory of the pain still lingering in her body and heart. She discerned muffled cries and smelled something she thought she recognized; a musky and spicy scent -- familiar and still strange. Someone touched her face.

Sighing, still hurt and so very tired, she yawned, fluttering her eyes open. How it was that she was so tired? All she wanted to do was to sleep.

She gasped, recognizing the face. It was _he_.

Sarah blinked her eyes, and his lips curved into a small smile. His gloved fingers gently stroke her brows while she yawned again, laying on his arms. Her eyes closed, but even through the foggy darkness she felt being lifted, heard singing. Someone – _he _caressed her hair.

"_What is it that is dead?  
Breath of a flower? sea-freshness on a wind?  
Oh, dearest, what is that that we should find,  
If you and I at length could win it back?  
What have we lost and know not it hath fled?  
Heart of my heart, could it be love we lack?_

* * *

-

A/N: Agh. I'm not happy with this chapter. But, anyway. Here it is. I will post the next chapter after I have written it to doc -form. (Yes, that's right! I write on-hand.) Additional disclaimer, I realized I forgot to add.

The poem is a verse from "Siste Viator" from Victorian Women Writers Project

(c) 1998, The Trustees of Indiana University. Indiana University makes a claim of copyright only to original contributions made by the Victorian Women Writers Project participants and other members of the university community. Indiana University makes no claim of copyright to the original text. Permission is granted to download, transmit or otherwise reproduce, distribute or display the contributions to this work claimed by Indiana University for non-profit educational purposes, provided that this header is included in its entirety.


	20. The Othering

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

The Othering

The corridors were dusty and moist. And above of all, empty.

"Praise the Labyrinth, 'ere's none of tho' false alarm," Hoggle muttered, glancing around while they kept on walking the desolate caves that run through the Underground.

"In here?" The Sphinx's head shifted to allow him catch a better sight of the dwarf. "His Majesty seldom sends…his guests here," a small curve of a smile appeared on his face, and Hoggle shivered at the flash of the thick sharp dens behind his thin humane lips. "For this, there's no need for such a thing as a false alarm."

"Nows, when ya mention," Hoggle peeked at the Sphinx from the cornet of his eye and pulled a deep breath before he dared to ask. "What exactly are ya doin' 'ere?"

He faltered backwards when the Sphinx stopped and turned to face him, but the beast only chuckled.

"Oh no…" He grinned, bending closer, and his face hovered inches away from Hoggle's chest. "I'm not liable in anyway to tell you that."

Giving the fairy a withering look, Hoggle noticed her thoughtful expression and crinkled eyes, while she inspected the beast. Sensing his attention, Cobweb glanced at the dwarf and quickly averted her gaze. Hoggle's brows creased, but the fairy didn't look up anymore.

The Sphinx said something.

"Wha?" Startled, he brought up his face.

"I'm curious to hear the story of your companion." The Sphinx repeated. He looked at the fairy. "You mentioned you're following a runner. Nevermind there would have been fairies accompanying runners before, lest I'd be interested. But little one. What did you think you could gain through her?"

An ugly frown plastered her face and she plugged out her tongue. Unnoticing, she covered her lacer wings behind her back at the same time and pulled back her shoulders. "You're rude to even ask, and I won't answer!"

At her tone, a deep rumbling resonated in his throat as he, eyes wrinkled, returned the gaze, and turned, continuing forward. The grey wings hissed scrubbing against his back, and flocks of silicoticus puffed around his paws as he slid through the corridors, the muscles of his hips trembling, moving beneath the minerals of his skin, in the rhythm of his steps. They followed.

The silent walk felt like eternity, and Hoggle nearly stumbled on his behind when the Sphinx unexpected stopped. He lifted his snout and dragged the air with long noisy breaths.

"What now?" The fairy whined.

"Silent, bug," the Sphinx didn't bother to turn, watching ahead his body tense. "Someone's coming…"

Only the loitering dusk of the underground and the surrounding opaque stonewalls surrounded them.

Hoggle heard a frightened gasp near his feet. He looked around and, at first, didn't see anything. The strength fleeted his body as the opposite dark wall started to shimmer and transformed transparent. Odd figures appeared there, swirled in its depths. He staggered backwards perceiving something approaching -- a dark figure. Terrified, imagining the black caped, haughty King emerging from the wall, Hoggle whimpered and retreated. He gasped, nearly turned to run at the sight of the slim polished fingers plunging out of the wall.

"Be still," gnarling, the Sphinx commanded and nailed Hoggle down with his gleaming stare. "I will take care of this."

Pale and slender arms followed the hands. Next a pair of dark legged trousers penetrated the whirling facet, merely a swirling liquid around her. But the legs were solid and true, and when stepping onto the ground, a loud thump echoed around. Last, the hips appeared, a stomach and the face. Only when she had totally emerged from the gleaming stone, Hoggle grasped he wasn't looking at the hated Goblin King.

But a young human girl.

Relieved, he nearly tripped while something gnawed his heart as he watched her striding relaxed towards them, arms swinging lazily by her side. Her dark hair curled softly around her face and her lips were slightly curved up in a smile. Somehow she appeared familiar, even when Hoggle knew he had never seen her.

"Master Sphinx," the girl greeted and glanced curiously at the dwarf. "Master Dwarf." Politely, she inclined her head to him too, and Hoggle returned the gesture, realizing then Cobweb was nowhere to be seen.

"Lady," the Sphinx rumbled in greeting. "You are in the forbidden zone. You should leave."

The half-smile didn't quiver. Hoggle shuddered. True, she looked like a human with her rosy cheeks and flickering bright eyes, but something was not right in her.

"I am here for the Goblin King," said she simply. "I look for an item he has lost."

The Sphinx laughed. "Many claim the same; fewer are to believed."

"Don't waste my precious time, beast," the girl commanded. "If you're unwilling to help, then make way." She tried to parade pass him.

"Nay," The Sphinx replied, blocking the corridor. "I guard the Night, and I'm not inclined to allow anyone through."

"Do you have wax in your ears?" she snarled. "I said I work for the Goblin King."

The deep purring of his laughter echoed and vibrated around them. "The Goblin King isn't my master." He stepped forward, whipping the air with his stone tail. "I take no commands from him, but I keep the uninvited away. That is my task. And you clearly are an unwanted one."

Backing away, she hissed. "Stupid beast! You have no idea with whom you are toying!"

"No," The beast agreed, hardly concealed amusement tilting his voice. "Nor do I care."

"For the last time, will you step aside," demanded she her eyes in ablaze, body rigid and stiff, staring at the Sphinx her smooth face twisted in an unrecognizable mask of contempt.

"No."

She was about to answer, when a terrifying shriek echoed throughout the caves. The girl jerked up her head, and darkness slid over her and her face. She listened to silence and when she looked at them again, she was smiling, but her smile was not a nice one.

"This," the girl hissed, "will not end here, Sphinx. You can be sure of that."

Like called, she turned on her heels and hurried towards the gleaming, transparent wall. The shadowy creatures moved away, creating her a path, and without hesitating she stepped through. A flash; and she was gone. The wall she had used as her gateway appeared as solid and obscure as before.

The Sphinx stared after her thoughtfully, his tale swooshing restlessly in the air. He stepped forward, and, turning, revealed the cowering fairy behind his legs.

"Alright, fairy," the Sphinx snarled. "Now is a good time to quit your games. How do you know that … that beast?" He grimaced as tasting something sour when mentioning the girl.

Ashen, Cobweb stared forward, shivering. "She's the one…" the whisper escaped her lips.

"The Runner?" His eyebrows arched, he sat down.

"No!" The fairy shouted. "She's the Othering. The mirror-beast."

"I know that," the Sphinx growled. "I have eyes in my head. But to allow her run loose in the Underground…" He shook his head and pinned her down with his stare. "Are you saying His Majesty has aligned himself with the Otherings?"

"Yes," The fairy muttered, "I heard them talking. They are using my runner for …to….something. I don't know their plans, but he said he would take the runner to the Shadow Sisters."

"To Sisters!" The bawling echoed brutally in the underground space, and he brought his face right to the fairy's chest. "He dared to do that?" Scraping, like grains of sand in the hourglass, the words fell from his mouth. "And you serve that foul-mouthed son-of-a-lying-snake?"

She didn't answer, only cast down her eyes. "Not anymore," she sighed. "He has forsaken his people." The fairy shivered. "The Labyrinth above is…different."

"How?"

"He has remodeled it. Ordered the old guards away and brought strange creatures behind the borders. He plots and he toys with the runners. Something is off…"

"I see," the Sphinx straightened his back, eyes flickering, and shivered "But to the Shadow Sisters…" Words barely audible, he mused out loud, his attention turned inwards.

"Umm." Hoggle hawked hesitantly. "Who are the Shadow Sisters?" The name tasted strange in his mouth.

"Something the King should have never allowed in his domain," the Sphinx growled. "The Owl Queen will not be happy when she learns about this."

"Who?" Hoggle and Cobweb exchanged glances, but the Sphinx didn't answer.

He sighed. "You're certain he took her to the Sisters?" He asked instead, looking down on the fairy.

She nodded.

Again, the Sphinx let out a loud sigh. "Oh my…" Unexpectedly, his lips started to quaver. "At least we don't have to worry where to find this Runner of yours," said he suddenly. "We just have to follow her to the Under's Ground…" He fell silent and, as an afterthought, added, "I can only hope she's alright."

His mood gloomy, Hoggle kicked the ground, certain he was going to regret he ever agreed to this deal.

"Stupid Runners," muttered he darkly, "always needing to be rescued."


	21. Child Is My Name

**Disclaimer**: I don't own "Labyrinth" (Jim Henson does).

**LEGEND**

Child Is My Name

"Wolf." The voice snared her out of oblivion; she would have recognized anywhere that dry tone tinted with amusement. Sarah shifted on her place, feeling a hard ground beneath her back. She lay on a ground? Muffled, the words floated and drifted dream-like about her.

"Me Liege." Barely audible, the coarse voice replied. She knew that speaker too, didn't she?

"Whatever led you to take her on this route?" Demanded the King.

Silence, then, "His Majesty knows very well," said the other.

"Don't avoid my question!" He snapped. Through her haze, Sarah shivered.

"Me?" Yet the other speaker appeared unruffled. He sounded nearly like he…chuckled?

"Yes." His teeth clasped loudly together.

"His Majesty should know I'd never even dream of that."

The King took a deep breath. "I have given my orders…" The words slipped away, fled her.

"…carefully, Your Majesty. I'm not your aide anymore."

A stunned silence.

"You claim you're not touched by the Law any more?"

"You dismissed me by yourself…" The wolf growled when he unexpectedly was interrupted. He yelped. The high-pitched voice of his cry pierced Sarah's ears. She moved restlessly almost awake now.

"I won't tolerate disrespect from my inferiors," the King hissed. "As long as you remain at my kindgdom, you do as told to; and I have a task for you…" The voice lowered, and she drifted back to slumber.

Sarah groaned opening her eyes. Perplexed by the unfamiliar sight, she blinked and wondered, why, instead of white ceiling of her bedroom, she saw clouds hovering above her? She forced her eyes tightly shut, but when she opened them again, the sight remained the same. Grimacing, she lifted her hand on her chest, feeling to an odd ache in her chest.

The goddess! She gasped, finally remembering.

"Wolf!" The word came out like a croak.

"Well about a time." He sat on his back legs next to her, his eyes gleaming pale yellow as he watched her still, his eyes flat; and then he grinned. "I almost thought you would sleep until noon."

She pressed her palm against her forehead, trying to suppress the tiny hammers that kept on thumping her skull. _Tack. Tack. Tack, _they thudded. Groaning again, she rolled on her stomach and, leaning against her arms, hauled herself up. Her legs felt wobbly as Sarah struggled on her feet.

She tried her chest again and felt the tiny hole on her blouse precisely at the place of her heart. "He…" she heaved, glancing at the wolf, "saved me?"

"Don't ask me," said he dryly. "I'm just as amazed."

At his words, Sarah exhaled loudly, letting her arms to fall on her side. Something fluttered in her heart – warm, almost scary. She shoved the thoughts fast at bay but still they lingered -- nearly terrifying hope. No! She shook her head. She couldn't believe it. There must be something she didn't know, a mean joke he played on her! She couldn't trust in him! He had kidnapped Linda, tricked her down here…Her eyes narrowed. She had learnt her lessons. She disregarded the whispers her deceptive heart kept on mumbling.

_Ye__t, he saved you…_

Looking around she tried not to pay attention to the sly voice of her heart and, realising the changed environment, marred her brows. "Where are we?" Sarah asked, spinning around and watching the round hills, rising and falling like an endless seas of green around them. Her shoulders slumbered; didn't this place ever end?

"Turfs of Awake," answered the wolf.

Continuing to observe the environment, Sarah asked. "How much time do still I have?"

"Not nearly enough."

Sarah looked down on him and snorted. "You know, that wasn't very reassuring."

The wolf only flashed his teeth while getting on his legs. He wagged his tail and returned her look, looking suddenly sombre. "I know."

Sarah sighed, glancing at her feet. "I guess it's better to move then…"

After climbing up and down the endless slopes in silence, Sarah, her gaze darting side to side, asked. "Did you know the goddess would be such a…" She stumbled, looking for a right word.

"…tramp?" The wolf suggested eagerly.

Sharply, Sarah glanced at him and nodded.

"Yes," said the wolf. "I hoped we wouldn't meet her." He scowled as tasting something sour. "All the exiled ones are more or less like her, but she's definitely the worse."

Her hands tightly dug into green grass, Sarah climbed up the long slope. "For a wolf, you know awfully lot about the Underground," Sarah commented finally.

He smiled sadly. "We wolfs are astute creatures," said he, trotting effortlessly next to her. "In old times, we were worshipped as keepers of the lost knowledge." He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "You should know that wolfs are very wise."

"And apparently modest too," Sarah nearly smiled.

"Naturally," he chuckled.

They stopped to catch their breath, or more precisely, Sarah, after climbing her way up, stopped and, leaning on her knees, panted loudly. Still gasping, she finally stood up and wiped sweat from her forehead with a carefree wave of her hand, shoving the locks of her dark hair out of her sight.

The green hills kept on going incessantly. Her gaze trailed the tops of the slopes that spread ahead like undulating green waves and the dark clouds that massed on the sky. She shivered, hearing a distant echo of a thunder. How many hills had she already climbed and every time hoped in no avail to see an end to these windy heights?

"I wonder if there's any other way to the castle?" she mused out loud.

"Numerous," the wolf replied slowly, as hesitating. His words made her spun sharply around.

"What!" Sarah nearly shouted, taking a step forward. She felt the wind blowing harder and ripping her hair.

He looked at her, narrowing his eyes, and slowly spoke. "You of all should be aware that nothing in this place is never as seems."

Infuriated, she nearly couldn't speak before finally snapped, "As my companion, I would expect bit more collaboration." She crossed her hands on her chest, uncaring of that she ruined the fabric of her blouse with her soil stained hands. She stared at the animal her eyes narrowed and chin tight. "To whom are you loyal anyway?"

"Don't be a child, Sarah," the wolf yawned, sitting down. "I merely meant the Labyrinth never stays the same. It shifts and turns, and always, always, offers an alternative." He suddenly frowned and his eyes flashed red as he glanced at the direction of the dark sky. "But in some cases, the alternatives just aren't something I would suggest you to take…" His voice sounded odd.

"If I'd have a chance to reach that wretched castle, I'm willing to gamble," Sarah slowly said, scrutinising the wolf warily. She murmured, inspecting her hands and, when realising the muddied shirt of hers, grunted displeased. "Heck, I don't even know how much time I have left…" Fast, she whipped her hands on her jeans.

"Yes. The worry is understandable," said the wolf, looking at Sarah, the unspoken accusation lingering in his voice. "Time is valuable commodity here where there's no time."

"What would you have me do?" Sarah snapped more angry she hoped to. "I'm here because of her."

"And might stay here because of her…" the wolf reminded.

"Gee. Thanks," Sarah groaned. "I'm very much aware of that…" She lifted her hand on her head and slid her fingers through her hair, correcting the ponytail she had tied her hair into before calling to the Goblin King. She glanced again at the direction of the distant horizon and the thunderclouds. "It's just…Linda…" She searched for the right words, suddenly embarrassed. "I've always taken care of her and I'm worried of her. She's a bright and talented, like a…" She shook her head, interrupting, her eyes fixed at the sight. "She doesn't deserve to be here…" Sarah murmured.

The wolf hmph'ed, but remained silent, watching her keenly.

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "And as the situation is what it is, I cannot call off my words. I need to do this."

At her words, he hung his head as defeated. "I know this I'm going to regret this…" He muttered and looked up. "There's an alternative…" He hesitated and said, "We can go to Under's Ground."

She arched her eyebrows, unfamiliar with the word. "Under's Ground?" Automatically, she looked at his feet, and the wolf bared his teeth. Flattening his ears, he clasped his teeth together.

"Yes," said he. "There. Into the caves."

Something in his voice made Sarah shivering. "How will it help me to reach the castle on time?" She asked.

"The caves are not as long as the turfs and, in addition, in Under's Ground, the time travels slower," the wolf said, "than the man."

"So…?" Sarah's forehead marred as she pondered. "I would have more time there?" More time also meant better change, she concluded at last.

He sighed. "Yes."

Sarah glanced again at the direction of the clouds and turned then to look at the wolf. "I guess I don't have too many options anyway…" She stated slowly, and the wolf nearly smiled at her, yet appearing somehow sad.

"You could say that again," he shook his head and, getting up on his legs, stood up. He nudged his head, pointing at his side. "Come on then. I'll show you the way."

-

-

A/N: Yes!! Finally, I had time to continue the story. I'm lacking both time and energy (I have way too much to do at the moment), but I still hope to be able in finishing the story before end of the October.


	22. Love, Losing Faith

Disclaimer: I don't own "Labyrinth". I wish I did.

#looks around, waits patiently and, when nothing happens, shouts# I said: "I wish I would own Labyrinth! Right now!"  
#when nothing still happens, muses out loud# I think I need to try another approach…

#

**LEGEND**

Love, Losing Faith

Lounging on his throne, legs sprained over the arms of the seat, Jareth's eyes followed the ruckus at his throne room. The goblins, uncaring of his irritated attention, bolted through the space cackling and sniggering at the song they short time ago invented.

"So the old lady drooped,  
Like a lily in a flood,

Few of the creatures glanced at the frowning King mischievously while continuing.

_"She cried, "Do and save me!"  
Come and kiss me.  
Never mind my wrinkled bruises,  
Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices…"_

The King, enraged by the creatures, tossed his legs down. "Enough already!" he commanded, and the goblins scattered around like a howling and laughing herd of baboons, still chanting.

_"Hug me, kiss me…"_

"Will you," words sizzled through his clenched teeth, "be silent!"

Suddenly, staggering, the Goblin King flung his hands on his chest, and an agonized expression tore his face. Faltering and groping his heart, he fell down on his throne; and the goblins rooted at his apparent pain.

Still bent over, he lifted up his head and glared at the giggling goblins underneath his brows. His forehead overshadowed his gleaming eyes. "I said…" Pressing his fist together, the leather of the gloves creaking, he sprung up, and his cape fluttered around him like a black veil. "Shut up!"

The Goblin King hurled a gleaming crystal at the goblins. Only those who still remembered, understood to take cover behind the doorways and, peeking behind the corners, saw the orb shattering to thousands tiny shards of glass that fell all over the throne room. The flocks of glitter turned into bright red sparks, raining on the goblins. They screamed as the sparks scorched the creatures. The throne room crowded with a sickening stink of burning flesh while, tossing and turning, the goblins crawled and snivelled on the floor.

Satisfied smirk on his lips, Jareth sat back down on his chair and followed the goblins' efforts to extinguish the flames on their cloths and hair. His head shifted at the shimmering of the enormous mirror on the further wall.

The Linda-creature, stepping through the glass wall, stopped on her trail and looked at the opening scene and slithering forms on the floor. Her eyes flashed as she inspected the grim Goblin King, once again sprawled relaxed on his throne.

"I see I've missed something, my liege."

"Nothing of importance," Jareth snorted. "Some lessons re-taught."

She glanced at the whimpering goblins. "Why even waste time? Just kill them. They don't learn."

A cloud passed his face, and he opened his mouth about to answer but was disrupted before he even begun.

"Aeeii!" The head of the Goblin King jerked up at the echoing scream and he pulled himself to sit straight.

"Aeeei!" The scream repeated, bringing in the shadows.

Desperately, crying, those goblins still able to do so, fled the throne room. They knew what was approaching. The shadows slid over the walls. A patchwork of dark tentacles appeared and died, and the King sat still on his throne his eyes gleaming, a small smile on his thing lips. The shadows coiled, pulled back. A furthest corner of the throne room enclosed with blackness that finally scattered as a bundle of bats flying in separate directions, revealing them.

At the sight of the Shadow Sisters, Linda-creature retreated, her gaze fastened on them, as their grey tattered clothes flapping and swaying they slid closer to the throne and the King.

"Greeting, sisters," the King smiled, inspecting the cloaked three figures, rocking back and forth in front of him, surrounded by agonized furry creatures.

"Dream King," the ladies whispered, returning his words, and bowed.

"What brings you here, shadowy ones?"

"We have fulfilled our oath," the leader replied hoarsely. "The vengeance is reborn."

"Good, good," he chuckled. "Ladies, I have a task for you. A revenge to fulfil. The land reeks of gloom and misery; it yarns to be avenged."

"We do not bow to thy call, Dream King." the leader snarled, a snaky hiss lingering and echoing in her words, multiplied. "We are called by the stench of blood, unfilled oath. We heed to betrayal and godless acts."

Displeased by what he heard, he frowned and said. "Ladies, don't misuse my hospitality." His cape flayed behind his back as he stood up and stepped down the stairs, approaching the Furies. "Tell me who placed you under his care and hid from the blazing sun's stare?"

"Dream King, thou did," they hissed, rotating slowly on their place to keep him at their sight.

"Tell me, who protected you from the Owl Queen's wrath?" he asked, his hands clasped behind his back, circling around them his pace unhurried.

"Thou did."

The Goblin King stopped in front of the stairs leading to his seat and met the veiled ladies' stares. "Then hear and listen. I do not ask more than that…"

He lifted up his hand and pointed towards the arched windows and the Labyrinth stretching behind, the dark clouds hovering on the sky. "The land weeps and creeks. It was robbed once -- betrayed. Don't you hear its screams?"

"Aye, we hear."

He bore his teeth, hissed. "Tell me, what does the land speak?"

"Revenge…" they snarled. "For a dream lost, dream must be gained."

"Precisely!" He laughed haplessly, lowering his arms. "It shouts for the shattered dream."

The Furies swayed still, in silence, and then the leader stepped closer.

"Dream King, we do not prey dreams," she snarled. "Our quarry are the matricides, the slaughterers of child and men; those godless one feasting on their own flesh." She lifted up her face, exclaiming victoriously, "We are the purgatory. We make the past undone; vengeance that which is wrong and make the wrongdoers weep!"

"Aeei!" The others cried.

"Ladies, but tell, ain't it so in this land a dream is all? A dream is a kin to another one. If one slaughters a dream within a dream, doesn't that call for mending act?"

They stilled and replied at last. "Thy words areth strange ones; but, Dream King, we listen."

He turned and walked slowly up the stairs, returning to his seat. Standing in front of the stone throne, he looked down on the ladies.

"Isn't it rightful to ask a compensation for the dream gone sour, dream lost? Here." He placed his hand against his chest. "Look. Empty. Hollow, pain that aches until soul. All because a dream was lost."

"Thou buried the dream by thyself!" The Furies cried.

"Yet, it was she, who broke it in two. And the earth quavered. The stars fell. I gave her the world, but she let it fall."

"Aeeei! It is a cruel act, she committed."

He shook his head. "I asked so little. I lost all I had. I turn to you to have my revenge. In return for her act, rob her from dreams. For a dream lost, a dream must be gained."

"Yesss…." The Furies hissed. "Thou are right…"

The Linda-creature's eyes glowed. She nearly growled while watching the women that sprung into move.

"The net is spread, she shan't escape!" They sung. "She falls, and when she falls, we are there! Aeeei! She cannot run; let the Furies keep to their word!"

He pointed at the doorway. "Go," said he, and screaming, the Furies took off.

"Get her, get her, there she goes. The quarry will not slip our grasp…"

Their echo of their chant ripping across the room, he slumbered on his chair with grey face and groped the area around his heart. His eyes burned as coals in his white face. "It's gone…" He whispered hoarsely to the thin air, his eyes glazed. "The heart is gone, yet still it hurts."

He shook off his reveries, glancing at the Linda-creature. "The time draws near. The pieces fall in place."

She stepped forward. "Why did you save her?"

"To have my revenge!" He spat, but his expression faltered and deformed from an immense pain. Once again, he grasped his chest.

"Are you well, my King?" she asked.

"I'm well," muttered he. "An old pain that should be gone…"

She knew about it. Of course.

"Go now." He flipped his hand, without looking at her, sounding resigned -- cheerless. "I'm yet a dream to reclaim."

She bowed, even when he didn't pay any attention to her, and turned, walking back to the mirror. The surface gave way as she stepped through, and she heard her people whispering, shadows following and calling for her.

_Sister, sister. We are hungry. We want out! Help us! Sister, we beg!_

"Brothers, sisters…" the creature spat. "Be at ease." She looked around in the distorted shadow-world of the Otherings and smiled. "The captivity is almost at the end. I will see to that."

She nodded at the lone figure that was cloaked in the darkness, and received an answer before the figure retreated in the flickering shades of this world.

The Linda-creature didn't hesitate any longer. Previously suspecting, now proven right, she didn't falter when she took off. Her surroundings blurred and hazed as she flung through the mirror-world the shouts of her kinsmen tearing her ears.

_Sister, free us! Let us out…Sister, sister. We beg!_

Yes. Finally, she knew what to do. She had a heart to destroy, or all would be vain.

#

A/N: I have the next instalments more or less ready. I will try to keep up with the updating phase, but due to some real-life issues, though, I might not be as fast as previously. Oh, I corrected some mistakes.

And thanks again for all the reviewers. You are the salt of my life!


	23. Spin, Spin, Spin the Web

**Disclaimer**: I don't own "Labyrinth", Jim Henson does.

**LEGEND**

Spin, Spin, Spin the Web

They stood quiet, staring down. Unsurprisingly, it was the Sphinx who broke the silence. He turned to look at Hoggle and asked, lips twitching, "Scared?"

"Aye," Hoggle wasn't ashamed to admit it, standing next to a dark abyss and gazing into it. He shivered from the cold draft caressing his feet, wiggling the scarce hair of his head and putting his hair stand up. He could hear faint echoes of yowling the wind carried from below.

"You should be," the Sphinx nodded approvingly. "After all, that's our way to Under Ground's…"

"Ya keeps sayin' that," Hoggle muttered, still staring at the dark void. He swore it stared back at him. "I've never heard of 'tis Under's Ground." He turned to have a look at the shining beast. The eerie light Hoggle thought at first to be an enchantment wasn't apparently a one. It looked more like the Sphinx himself glowed. Hoggle's eyes narrowed. Come to think, didn't he know that particular tint from somewhere…?

"Yes," Cobweb's head peaked out from the cap resting on his belt. "What is it?" she asked, her hands clasped around the rim of his cap. "I have neither heard about Under's Ground, and as his Majesty's envoy I'm supposed to know all places in the Labyrinth…" She yawned, curling back at the bottom of his stained hat, apparently rather content of her present state. Amused, Hoggle suppressed his smile, wondering again why it had been so difficult to get her agreeing in this suggestion.

The beast was regarding them thoughtfully. "I suppose it could be described as an oubliette…of sorts," said he at last.

For a moment, Hoggle wasn't certain of what he talked about, returning his stare. "Oubliette?" he repeated.

The Sphinx's face twisted. "A place to be forgotten about; and a refuge for those who have lost all…" he mused aloud, the look in his eyes distant and reserved.

"I doesn't get it," Hoggle puckered his brown, inspecting the creature warily. "An oubliette ain't any safe haven -- and a safe haven shouldn't be scary…." Involuntarily, he briefly glanced at the abiding darkness, looming in front of them like stomach of nameless, ravenous beast; and shuddered.

"Or then it should be precisely that," the Sphinx snapped. "Come along you two! We haven't got too much time, and I want to find that Runner so that I can get rid of you. Your constant whining is making my head pound," he commanded impatiently and stepped into the dark. The faint glow emitting from him chased off the darkness and turned it instead into ominous shadows that flickered and played in Hoggle's hemispheric sight -- not really there, yet neither away.

"I never knew sphinxes were able to do charms," Cobweb's hesitant voice echoed in the corridor.

The Sphinx didn't answer at first, sliding ahead. "We all have our secrets." He didn't even bother to look behind; and his deep voice rumbled like a brass horn.

"I recognize that glow…" the fairy muttered, and Hoggle jolted at the words echoing his previous thoughts. He glanced at her briefly, but Cobweb's stare was fixed on the lean back of the Sphinx.

"Oh, really now…?" His tail whooshed; Hoggle could have sworn he discerned a smile in the beast's voice as the Sphinx kept on descending the corridor.

"Yes," Cobweb exclaimed loudly, keeping her eyes on the beast.

He stopped then, and turned, giving them a withering look. Hoggle suppressed a yelp, backing a few steps, but the beast only revealed his teeth. He appeared amused.

"Then all is well," said the Sphinx, an echo of laughter in his voice. Dark stone eyes glinted like endless pools of darkness before he turned around and continued his prodding. The cold wind coming from the below carried his words, so softly, Hoggle almost missed them. "And I don't need to say no more."

The fairy snorted, hiding within the shelter of Hoggle's cap, but remained silent. Wavering a moment between his desire to turn and run, and that cursed sense of honour -- of his promise to help, Hoggle stared at the furthering silhouette of the grey stone-beast, and the blue light accompanying him.

"Ya knows," Hoggle muttered finally darkly at the fairy, "'tis is goin' to be a bad, bad idea…"

For once, the fairy had nothing to reply.

Frightened, Hoggle started to run, realising the Sphinx was almost out of their sight. He hurried after him, feeling the growing draft, like a pair of icy fingers, caressing his skin. Hoggle trembled, wondering again in where precisely had he gotten himself into and hoped that they would find that Runner, Linda, before something else would find them.

o O o

They glided forward with soundless steps, shadows sliding over the stones like dark clouds at sky. The long walls echoed their monotonic chant, while they, with frightening resolution and strength, plunged deeper. The blood coursed in their veins; their hearts beat unison song; they travelled as one. The excitement of the hunt had only begun, but they would enjoy it. Oh -- how they would enjoy. Soundlessly, like a group of shades, the Furies glided forward, fluttering veils flapping behind their backs.

_Hunt her down, _they sung._ Get her, get her, before she flees. The net is spread; and she will fall._

Around them, the stones gleamed moist and cold. They spread their hands, and the darkness they carried in their hands unwrapped like a gloomy web, shivering in their grasps and the air.

Suddenly, they stopped. Quiet hissing resonated in the corridor as the three veiled creatures gazed at a lone girl, standing in their way.

"What doth thou here, mirror-beast?" the leader snarled behind her shroud.

"I'm not here to prevent you but merely wish to grant you a gift." Her lingering smile never reached her eyes.

The leader answered warily, "The Otherings have nothing with which to grace us; the Erinyes need no gifts -- not from thy kind. We know the price of the mirror-land."

"Yet, I wish to give this advice," said she, stepping forward. She leaned closer and asked, her words barely a whisper. "Who cares of dream when children have been killed?"

The words floated about, lingered in the surrounding dusk.

"Never take an advice from thy kind, that we know," the leader of the furies hissed, taking a step forward. The veil swished and rustled as alive. The hem revealed a pair of bare feet, full of scratches and scars. "Thy presence is not tolerated." She pointed her finger at the Othering. "Begone!"

The Othering knelt, and the stones rattled and crackled underneath her knees like tiny shelves of cockroaches. "A moment, no more," pledged she.

Resigned, the ladies stood straighter. "So be it," said the leader finally. "Speak fast, speak well. We shall listen -- this time."

"The King was not true," the Othering told slowly, her tone vibrating and nearly vanishing when her voice fell lower, "He has a hidden agenda. A secret…"

"What?" Their words were just an angry hiss. "Thou claim he dared to lie…?"

"Here," the mirror-beast said, grasping a flock of dust and stones in her hand and offered her palm to the Furies. "Smell. Tell me you don't you sense it, and I'll be gone. Tell otherwise, and I'll explain it all." She let the dust fall from her palm. It fell on the hand the leader uncovered behind her veil. The stones grumbled and clasped in the silent hall, and the white slender fingers fisted tightly together. The Fury moved the hand underneath her nose, taking a deep breath.

"Blood…" her coarse words broke the silence of the hall.

The hand of the Fury fell on her side; and the stones flew around her like grey and white rain. "Aeei!" she cried, turning to look at her sisters. "The beast speaketh the truth. Someone hath spilled blood!" she screamed in agony. "A child was murdered! An inhuman act was done."

"And they called her mother…"

The leader yanked her head at the Linda-creature. "Not by blood!" she snapped. "She was not of same blood."

But the Fury didn't intimidate the Linda-creature. She stood up and met her stare, asking, "Which is more true -- that in which we believe or that which have transpired?"

"She speaketh well…" The others hissed at their leader. "Sister, listen to her…"

She spun around, and the grey veil hiding her face flickered and revealed a glimpse of dark hair and white skin. The Othering heard alien-like hissing in her ears, like a faint echo that accompanied the hoarse whisper.

"No…"

"We smell the blood, sister!" the others cried. "Thou know what that conveys. A heart of the dream hath no balance. Not for the real act…"

"Sisters…" the leader answered slowly, like wavering. "Sisters…" she repeated the words gently, swaying on her place, and fell in silence. The hissing grew louder; the Othering heard whimpering and saw how her shoulders slumbered; she trembled and moaned softly like in pain.

"Sister, sister…" the others chanted, launching themselves into move. Their hands were open, and the net they held flamed in life.

Time spread out and stretched, glimmered in the dusk like their web, each cord vibrating and resonating with a sizzle and hiss. She became motionless, listening to the echoing music, the dark laces of the Furies' net entwining her. Her head fell, and the sisters halted.

The silence lasted and span, bearing a terse, fearful foreboding. The Othering watched the leader of the Furies. After a tense silence, she lifted up her face and breathed out, turning to her sisters. "Yes," her words were a dark growl. "Sisters, thou are right. We shall kill her heart!"

A/N: And so the plot thickens…


	24. Burial of Dead

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

A/N: Apologies for my long absence. Life's been crazy, but I duly wish to be able to finally finish this piece.

**LEGEND**

Burial of Dead

It was something out of a dream -- _or a nightmare_, Sarah thought her head atilt, watching the building in front of them; a palace of sorts consisting of a massive central structure and five steeples. The central spire rose much higher than its companions, and on the pinnacle of the column stood a statue of a hooded woman knight. She was barely visible on her perch, her shadowy presence hidden within the waylaying darkness. Once light and polished marble was now stained and blackened, but still Sarah could discern the elegant forms of lanterns, finials, arched windows that adorned the building.

"Whoah," Sarah gasped involuntary.

"Tell me about it," the wolf sighed, sitting down. Slyly, he glanced at Sarah.

"What is this place?" Sarah swung her hand towards the looming construction. "It's --," she stumbled, searching for words, and gave up frustrated with her lack of vocabulary. "Why do you have a palace underground?" she inquired instead.

"To be precise, it's actually a temple," the wolf corrected, "not a palace."

"A temple for what?"

The wolf only bit his lip and shook his head, and Sarah gave him a lingering look before turning to the building again. She could hear his loud sigh, the stones rattling underneath his paws as the wolf got to his feet.

"Come along," he said, leading her toward the blackened walls of the temple.

"In there?" Sarah hesitated.

"There's a hidden gateway. Through it one can cross to another section of the Lower Labyrinth and Under's Ground…"

She shrugged, "Well, you're the one living here…"

The temple was as lifeless and deserted inside as outside. They tiptoed deeper into the courtyard, the crumbled stones rattled beneath their feet, and the damp grey moss glistered in the faint light accompanying them. The shadowy female warrior appeared to stare at them as they made their way through. Sarah shivered, imagining feeling its gaze poring through her as they passed the long shadow the statue cast on the ground.

"You never told," Sarah said suddenly, "why the temple's here, below the ground?"

He glanced at her thoughtfully over his furry shoulder. "This is what happen to legends when they are lost," he told silently. "When people forget."

"Stories, you mean?"

"Those too," the wolf replied. "Gods, dreams, and creatures that roamed in the world eons ago. When the world stops believing, they crumble and fade away. Like this place."

She nearly stopped. "This is a cemetery!"

He hushed, turning to look at her, "Mind your words!" The wolf eyed quickly around, stepping closer, tail across his legs and ears pressed flat against his head. "They are immortal. They cannot die even if affected by time! And they have a very keen hearing…"

She shuddered. The presence of the statue suddenly felt much more tangible and ominous.

He shook his head, glancing up and at the sculpture. "We must be quick…" he mused aloud. "Otherwise, she might notice us…"

Sarah didn't dare to utter a word as they hurried forward. In the odd blue-tinted glow she barely registered the decorations of hideous beasts with snakes on their hair and ugly frowns circling the darkened wall and the arched doorway they crossed, hurrying in the murky temple.

Silence remained. Everything appeared as dead and devoid of life, only soft paddling of falling water on the stones resonated in the courtyard. Suddenly, a rusty screech echoed around; the statue moved. She lowered the spear, and dark muck covering her scattered down like black rain. The hems of her marble toga fluttered as she moved to the rim of her perch and looked down. She gripped the spear more tightly, and her eyes flashed in bright yellow as she noticed an owl whooshing pass her and following the wolf and Sarah. She crinkled her mouth.

"_This won't do any longer…"_

o O o

The faint glow emitting from small transparent butteriflies that had accompanied Sarah and the wolf since they arrived to Under's Ground, lighted up the way and drove the looming darkness at bay. Sarah kept on glancing around, nervous, sensing the coldness emitting from the glowing stones. The chill crept through her clothes until her bones. She shivered.

"This' a really creepy place," she muttered, staring at the trotting wolf ahead.

"I couldn't agree with you more," the wolf said, and, noticing his prickled fur, she smiled.

"You really are too harsh on yourself," Sarah said after a silence. "I think you're a very brave wolf."

He faltered at her words and gave her a long look. In the dusk, his eyes burned like red coals. He growled softly before turning around and continuing forward. "You have no idea…" his words were almost unheard.

The silent journey felt like an eternity. The butterflies had suddenly disappeared while progressing further, and Sarah faltered and stumbled her way through the cold corridor. She nearly fell over the wolf as he unexpectedly stopped. Regaining her composure, Sarah stood upright, stepping next to him. It was only then her tired eyes recognized the faint yellow light, casting the impenetrable darkness away.

Cautiously, she followed the wolf, and stopped, gasping in amazement. A huge darkened stonewalls with yellow torches burning on its side sprung from the ground in front of them. Black, cast iron doors of a giant-sized gate were tightly fast. Sarah perceived ornamental decorations of undulating lines, dark snakes and bull-headed men adorning the façade and the gate. She shivered; Sarah had never liked too much of snakes, especially after her poor Merlin got bitten by one.

"Wolf, are you certain we need to go there?" she asked after a prolonged silence, her gaze fixed at the crumbled structure in front of her. She could hear him sighing.

"I'm sorry…"

She pulled back her shoulders. "No, don't be. It's okay." She cringed, hoping she sounded more convincing she felt, and crossed the murky space between her and the ancient gate. "So, how do we get in?"

She almost heard him smiling as he answered, "Knock and the doors will open…"

"Figures…" Sarah muttered amused with his words that brought back to life memories of the Labyrinth of her youth. Thoughtful, she realised how much she had missed to have a change for something new, magical, yet little scary back in her life.

Slowly, she stepped forward, raising her hand, and knocked the cold iron doors. The echo of the thudding rung all around the space, vibrating on the dark stones that shimmered like pools of black liquid. The sound raised her skin on goosebumps. She grimaced, looking back at the wolf.

"Apparently, no one's hom…" an ear-tearing screech cut her words by mid-sentence.

She back-stepped, covering her mouth as the gigantic doors started to slowly open, revealing a dusky corridor behind. She glanced at the wolf. "What's in there…?"

The wolf looked down at his paws, and his words were merely a whisper. "A maze."

Sarah spun to look at him. "Another one?!" Panic started to swell in her. "I don't have time for new labyrinths!" she cried. "I have to save Linda, and the time's almost gone already!"

The wolf shook his head. "You don't have to solve it," he told. "It holds no secrets any longer. Only whispers and echoes of the past..." his voice died as he looked at the gateway.

"And?" Sarah moistened her lips, sensing that he didn't tell her everything.

He didn't answer, stepping next to her. "Always take the left side," he muttered, turning to look at Sarah, "but never in Under's Ground."

"What?" Sarah approached the gate, peeking inside, yet seeing nothing in the dusty dusk.

"Always take the left side," the wolf repeated silently, looking up at her. "That used to be the only way for solving the Goblin King's Labyrinth…"

Sarah's eyes narrowed. She remembered the little worm's advice when she met the Goblin King for the first time. "That's not what I was told to…" she said slowly.

He hmph'ed amusedly. "No one of the Goblin King's subjects would dare revealing that to a runner."

"But you do?" Sarah inquired, eyeing at him sharply.

"I…was banished," the wolf replied. "And this' no Goblin King's land. In here, never take the left turn. It'll only lead you to the centre of the Under Ground…"

Sarah shivered, remembering again that they were trespassing an ancient tomb. She dared not to ask further, afraid of the answers she might receive. "So…" Sarah asked lightly. "Shall we go?"

The wolf looked at her, sighing, "I swear you'll be a death of me, Sarah…" He shook his head.

"Don't say so!" she protested, taking a step forward, remembering the brave little squirrel they had buried to the forest, and Hansel and Gretel. Again, she wondered what had been the Labyrinth's reason to bring the kids on her path, forcing her to act the way she did. "I don't want to have any more deaths on my shoulders…" she whispered.

He never answered. Instead, Sarah heard the same ear-screeching sound. Gasping, she spun around. "No…" she cried, running back towards the closing doors and the wolf sitting on his back legs in front of the gateway, looking at Sarah with glowing eyes. "No!"

But the doors closed in front of her nose, blocking her way back and separating her from the wolf. "You little cheat!" she shouted, banging her fist against the unyielding cold metal. "You lying, double-crossing son of a bitch!" She kept on hitting the doors, shouting curses at the untrustworthy animal, too angry to even think of doing anything else.

She ceased hitting the doors when she heard no reply. Most likely the wolf had already left after abandoning her to another maze, she realized with a sinking feeling. Sarah fell on her knees, leaning her cheek against the cold surface of the gate, and closed her eyes.

"Not again," she whispered, too tired and exhausted to move. "This wasn't the way it's supposed to go…"

She didn't wait too long. Her stubborn nature soon got a hold on her, and biting her teeth, she got up, dusted herself off and took a step into the labyrinth. Te yellow burning torches cast flickering shadows on the ground as she walked deeper, steeling furtive glances at the crumbled wall and the moss growing on it. The small stones clattered beneath her footfalls, the sound echoing in her ears. It didn't take long time to reach a T-turn, and she stopped, hesitating. Sarah looked left and right before pulling back her shoulders, and took the right-side turn.


	25. The Lady of the Rock City

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

The Lady of the Rock City

Hoggle stared at the view in front of him. Unbelieving, he rubbed his eyes. "What…?"

"Don't be so astonished," the Sphinx snorted, reminding, "this is Under's Ground, after all…"

Hoggle shivered and briefly glanced down at Cobweb peeking from his cap. "I don't like thi'…" he muttered.

"Yeah, tell me about it." The fairy tucked herself deeper in the safety of Hoggle's cap, and wrinkled her nose, sniffing. "This place stinks."

At her words, the Sphinx let out a deep grumble, a roaring laugh, while looking at the fairy and the dwarf. "You think so…" Pressing his shout to the dwarf's chest, he nearly pushed him on the ground. The basalt-like eyes remained cold and inanimate, and he hushed darkly, "You have no idea …"

Hoggle met his stare. The seeping coldness ran down his spine like invisible fingers of the darkness.

"Hey!" He jolted as the beast turned his back on him. "Wait a minute!" Hoggle sprinted to run, hurrying next to the Sphinx, terrified the monster might leave him and Cobweb. The dusk of the faintly glowing rocks only strengthened the scaring premonition he had.

Hoggle glanced furtively aside, feeling on him the attention of the imaginary beasts of the Under's Ground. He shivered, sensing their restlessness, their urge to taste blood. Hidden in the shadows, they only waited for their first change to attack and devour poor Hoggle. The dwarf fixed his stare at the Sphinx, marring his forehead. The odd blue glow of the Sphinx had grown stronger the deeper they got; and the stronger the light grew, the further the hungry shadows retreated. He sighed. Despite the rock beast scared the hell out of Hoggle, he was better than facing the unknown. And it appeared the shadows were even more scared of the Sphinx than Hoggle.

"Yar runner, ya know," Hoggle silently said to the fairy, "had really chosen th' best possible route…"

The fairy just snorted, without bothering to answer.

The Sphinx led them through the gateway into a crumbled courtyard. Suddenly, the beast halted and tilted his head. Curious, Hoggle looked at the same direction but only saw tall pillars on the rooftop of the old temple.

"Pardon me, but is somethin' wrong?"

The Sphinx glanced at Hoggle briefly, swinging his tail. Hoggle nearly failed to hear him murmuring, "I don't know, dwarf… This time I really don't know…" His gaze wandered back to the highest spire and its empty perch. He shook his head, sighing, "Oh, come along, you two…We still have a runner to catch."

Heart hammering his chest and the blood rushing in his ears, the dwarf followed the beast through the crumbled doorway into the dark temple.

Suddenly he heard a swooshing sound, and a white figure, a bird, flew pass them in the corridor. Horrified, Hoggle screamed, throwing his arms to cover his face. "The King!" In panic, recognizing the familiar shape of an owl, he turned around and sprinted to another direction. He didn't pay any attention to the angry shouts of Cobweb, hurrying away from the temple, the dark frightening corridor and the possibility to face his sovereign in flesh.

"Stupid dwarf!" the Sphinx roared and the stones rattled underneath his paws as the beast lunged forward.

"No!" Hoggle cried when the beast reached him and, pushing him on his face, pinned him down on the ground. The fairy let out a high-pitched scream as she was thrown away from the cap.

"I'm not going there!" Hoggle sobbed, squirming beneath the beast's hold. "I'm not!"

"Imbecile dwarf, will you cease already!" the Sphinx snarled in his ears. His breath caressed Hoggle's skin. The beast smelled weird and still similar, like a blend of dust, sandalwood and ancient magic. Freezing, Hoggle blinked his eyes, an odd sense of déjà vu flashing through his mind.

"Lemme go…" he panted. "Ya're leadin' us to His Majesty…"

The Sphinx snarled displeased, releasing his hold, and hastily the dwarf scrambled on his feet dusting off his pants.

"Obnoxious dwarf, you're assuming too much."

Hoggle shook his head. "But th' owl…"

"Oh, get a grip!" Cobweb squeaked, also scrambling up on her wobbly legs. She frowned at the dwarf. "You're such a coward!" the fairy accused. "A sight of one bird, and you're already running away. It's a wonder _She _ever reached the center of the Labyrinth with you escorting her…"

Hoggle blushed viciously. "That's not fair!" The words felt bitter, reminding him about Sarah and his own failures. How many times had he heard her uttering that same sentence?

"Just leave the stupid dwarf," Cobweb said to the Sphinx and, then, plunged out her tongue while scowling at Hoggle, "if not able to do else but wail."

"Ya watch yer tongue!" Hoggle bent down, poking his finger on the fairy. "And whom ye say bein' whining, bug?"

"You stupid -- hog!" Cobweb staggered backwards, and after regaining her balance, stamped her foot on the ground. "If I were your size…"

"Too bad ya're not!" Hoggle cut in gleefully.

The Sphinx shook his head. "Hmph," he let out an annoyed puff of air. "It seems we're off to a good start…" His whiskers trembled as he listened to the insults flying back and forth between the dwarf and the fairy. Finally, rolling his eyes, he got up his feet and turned his back on them.

They both froze and, shocked, stared after the Sphinx. Hoggle was first to react.

"Hey!" he yelped and took few hurried steps forward, forgetting his earlier dispute with the fairy. "Where ya think ye'r goin'?"

"Wait here…" the beast muttered in answer without looking back.

Hoggle staggered, stopping, "But---but, ya can't leave us…" His voice died away.

"Just watch," the Sphinx snorted and disappeared in the darkness of the gateway.

Standing still Hoggle stared in the impenetrable darkness to where the beast had vanished, unbelieving the transpired. He glanced down when hearing the fairy to speak out.

"He'll be back." Cobweb creased her brows, sounding oddly certain.

"Yeah?" Hoggle arched his eyebrows. "Wha' makes ya think so?" he inquired, approaching the fairy and placed his hands on his hips, scowling.

The fairy sighed, "Stupid, doubtful dwarf. You seriously think he would allow an new riddle to pass unsolved?"

Hoggle refrained from commenting. Instead, he inhaled deeply and turned to the doorway of the ancient temple. He trembled, sensing again the gazes of the invisible beasts on him. "I hope yar right," Hoggle muttered finally, "or there won't be too much left of us…"

Her face turned white, and she shivered while looking around.

Dripping sound of falling water echoed through the courtyard as they stood still, attention fixed at the open gateway. And only when the familiar, odd blue glow returned, Hoggle felt the tension of his muscles to ease. The shadows seemed to disperse and fleet when the Sphinx stepped up on the courtyard.

The monster stopped, giving an intent look at the fairy and the dwarf, and suddenly smiled while sitting down on his legs, "You should see yourself, dwarf. You look like seeing a ghost."

Face flushed, Hoggle swept the ground with his feet. "His Majesty," he muttered, "makes me scared…"

Surprisingly, the monster only nodded. "This time I can't blame you…" He sounded thoughtful as he glanced up at the rooftops.

Jolting, the dwarf lifted up his face. "So, it was him!" he screamed softly, and Cobweb gasped as echoing his words.

The Sphinx didn't answer, giving the dwarf only a sharp glance. After noticing the little fairy tucked back to the cap dangling on the belt of the dwarf, a small smile played over his face. He got up and turned. Alarmed, Hoggle realized he was heading back to the waylaying darkness of the corridor. And without following, remained where he was.

The Sphinx glanced back, crinkling his eyes, and snarled, "Don't make me repeat myself…We had a deal!"

Blood fled Hoggle's face, "No…"

The beast chortled dryly. "You're afraid?"

"Only a fool wouldn't be," Hoggle stammered. "But ye seriously expect me to follow you now when I knows ya're seen his Majesty?"

"I don't know which is more annoying," the beast grunted, flattening his ears against his head, "your cowardliness or not understanding that _I do not work for the Goblin King!_"

"Who then?" Cobweb peeked behind the brim of Hoggle's cap.

"Not you too!" The beast groaned. "Are all people in the Underground truly inflicted by this disease of non-thinking?" He snarled, creeping slowly closer. His tail swung restlessly in the air, curling like a thick snake while letting out a loud swooshing sound.

"While excuse me if not believing in your non-existent explanations!" the fairy pouted, retreating hastily back to the safety of the cap.

The Sphinx snarled even more displeased before finally grunting loudly, "Fine!" he snarled. "I obey the Lady of the Rock City…" his voice lowered, and he hushed, "the only one the Furies are afraid of."

"The Furies?" Hoggle repeated, blinking his eyes.

"The Shadow Sisters," the Sphinx locked his teeth together, and Hoggle heard Cobweb to gasp. The Sphinx fixed his stare at the fairy, explaining, "My Queen banished the Furies eons ago and stripped them from their power. But now the Goblin King has made a deal with the sisters …" He shook his head in apparent disgust. "Your precious king," he spat, "has aside of contract with the Othering also restored the Furies."

"He's not my precious king!" Hoggle answered resentfully.

The beast only snorted, and then his face turned somber, almost sad. He looked at Cobweb, "I fear it might be already late for your runner," he muttered.

The fairy shook her head in refusal. "No…" she whispered. "Linda will survive! She has to!"


	26. Hide and Seek

Disclaimer: I don't own the Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

Hide and Seek

The ancient corridors smelled of dust, spider web, and something unpleasant, like rotten meat. Burning torches on the walls cast flickering and waning light while Sarah tread the corridors carefully, always remembering to choose the turn on her right. Her mouth clasped tightly together, the betrayal of the wolf remaining as a singing pain.

The wolf had been right, Sarah realized after awhile. This underground labyrinth held no true challenges. In the old days, the place must have been huge and impressive. Now there remained echoes of the past anymore; the color of the wall paintings had fainted, and though the stonewalls still glimmered darkly, the stones were crumbled, allowing her a view to the other sections of the maze. Corridors were empty and silent; and everything she saw, confirmed to Sarah the place was as dead as it was abandoned.

Occasionally, without her actually noticing, her fingers brushed the hole in her blouse the thorn of the goddess of the dawn had caused. She sighed, once again wondering what happened to the Goblin King during these years. Sarah remembered him as haughty and arrogant, yet not resentful. True, Jareth had been self-assured, somewhat distant and annoying when she first traveled in the Labyrinth, but now there was certain coldness in his eyes that didn't bode well with Sarah's memories. She blinked, a freezing feeling of dread clasping around her heart. She sighed again, realizing the fact: her time was waning with an alarming phase, and she was no closer to the center of the Labyrinth. Despite her efforts, the change prevailed: Jareth might win this re-match after all.

She pressed her lips tightly together, and her eyes flashed angrily. "I'll be damned if he does!" Sarah hissed to herself, pulling herself straight. The arrogant son-of-a-bitch would most definitely not win if Sarah had her say on it.

The decision made her feel somewhat better. Last time Hoggle had betrayed her, she had lost her memories, and, still, she won. Come to think, this was precisely the same situation. Resolutely, her eyes sparking with a newly found energy, she continued further in the underground maze.

The light grew brighter and the narrow corridors grew wider, and Sarah slowed down, realizing, she must have already reached the centre of the labyrinth. Wondering what she might find, she finally cleared the corridors and stepped into the light.

The view opening in front of her eyes made her to gasp aloud, "Oh no!" Terrified, she started running. "Linda!" Sarah shouted with strained voice. "Linda, hold on!"

The flock of dust and fine sand puffed in the air, itching in her eyes, as she dashed though the wide empty arena towards the centre and the dark silhouette she recognized belonging to her niece.

"Oh Linda! What has he done to you…?"

o O o

The walk through the darkness took way too long for Hoggle's liking, especially taking into consideration all he already knew about the Under's Ground. He looked around and grimaced. In the blue-tinted pale light, Hoggle barely made out the flawed frieze running above and its tarnished dark figures of soldiers, small children and ugly human-like monsters. They did very little to cheer up his mood .

"Hmm," Hoggle scratched his head, an itching feeling telling him he was not remembering something vital. He brought his attention back at Sphinx. "Ya said ya're working for this Lady…" His voice sounded hollow; and the Sphinx snarled annoyed.

"Yes…"

"Ya know if she's a friend of th' Goblin King?" Hoggle inquired slowly.

The Sphinx snorted, "And why do you want to know that?" he asked instead, glancing behind, hips swaying in the rhythm of his steps. The small stones rattle underneath his paws, and his tail swooshed softly from side-to-side occasionally. For such a huge beast, the Sphinx surely knew how to tread softly.

"No reason…" Hoggle stammered, blushing, and fell in silence.

The Sphinx remained silent. "My Lady and your King are aware of each other…" he told unexpectedly. "After all, it's her shape he took, and her land he looks after today, but else they have but little in common."

"Shape?" Cobwed repeated. "Oh really?" she sounded wistful.

The beast only grumbled in answer, and Hoggle shook his head at the fairy. Cobweb sniveled at the dwarf's reaction but didn't press further.

They heard it long before the saw it – sound of someone sobbing; and, crinkling his eyes, Hoggle perceived the yellow burning light mingling with and meshing the cold blue light his eyes had already started to get used to. Tears formed in his eyes as he stumbled, half-blinded, forward, trying to look where he stepped. Despite his caution, he nearly tripped over the Sphinx as the beast pulled himself to stop.

"Excuse me," Hoggle muttered, and the beast side-glanced at him.

"Clumsy dwarf!" the Sphinx sneered voice without its usual venom. He turned to look at the iron cast gate blocking their way. The metal sprung from the ground like black teeth of the cave's mouth, stretching to every direction. It wasn't the gate though that snared the Sphinx's attention.

A creature lay on the ground, sobbing silently. Unimpressed, the Sphinx snorted, stepping closer. At the sound of his paws hitting against the ground, the creature, a grey-furred wolf, jolted. He looked at them, baring his teeth.

"What are you doing here?" he roared with a deep voice, his back curved and fur bristled.

"I might ask you the same…" the Sphinx sneered, sitting down. "The Under's Ground seems to become curiously popular these last hours."

"That's none of your business!" the wolf snapped, his gaze wandering from the Sphinx to Hoggle and Cobweb, who just emerged behind the beast's back. His eyes grew wide, and he started trembling as he suddenly grew weak. "H-h-Hoggle?" he stuttered, getting clumsily up on his feet.

"You know that creature?" Cobweb curiously asked while pointing at the wolf.

"Nay," Hoggle shook his head. "I don't have wolves as friends as far as I know," he laughed bitterly, "not that I never had too many friends anyway."

"Funny," Cobweb muttered, turning to look at the wolf. "He certainly seems to know you."

"Yes, curious indeed," the Sphinx echoed her words, scratching thoughtfully the back of his ears. The sound of his nails tore Hoggle's ears.

"Oh, would you please quit doing that!" Cobweb screamed at the beast, holding on to her ears.

"What?" Surprised, the Sphinx looked at the fairy while lowering his leg.

"You're intentionally trying to make us deaf!" Cobweb accused.

"Oh, pish-posh!" the beast snorted. "You complain way too much for your health."

Uncaring about the fairy and the Sphinx, the wolf kept his eyes fixed at the dwarf. Finally, his prickled fur leveled, the burning red of his eyes faded; and his neck and his head sagged. He sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised though to find you here though. Not especially now…" the wolf muttered to himself, and his words silenced the Sphinx and the fairy.

"Pardon," Hoggle uttered, giving a nasty glance at Cobweb, who kept on poking him on the stomach trying to urge him to react.

"Yes…?" the wolf sighed, staring down at his paws.

"We're looking a human," Hoggle explained uncertainly. "A young girl named Linda, who should be somewhere down here. Maybe ya've seen her?"

The wolf jerked up his head. "You don't know?" he asked in astonishment.

Hoggle blinked. "What?"

"Oh my…" the wolf shook his head, sitting on his legs. His head fell on his chest. "I fear I've done something utterly stupid…" he confessed silently. "Please, forgive me…"

Hoggle gave a queer look at the fairy, arching his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"I led her here…"

"Linda!" Cobweb shrieked, but the wolf just shook his head.

"No…" He looked at Hoggle with gleaming eyes and whispered, "Lady Sarah."

Hoggle's legs wobbled. He staggered backwards, staring at the animal. He must have heard him wrong! His eyes watered and his heart pounded so loudly it hurt him. "No…" Hoggle shook his head. "Ya're lying!" he spat angrily. "She's never coming back! She left!"

"I'm sorry, Hoggle," the wolf sighed.

Burying his face in his hands, Hoggle tried calm down, uncaring about the blood gushing through his veins; the anger burning his heart; or the gnawing feeling in his stomach. Finally, he lifted his pale face, the realization of the words piercing his mind, accepting the possibility of the wolf's words.

"She's here...?" he repeated hoarsely. "Sarah?"

"Yes," the wolf sighed again, nodding. "And I fear the King is about to do something terrible to her…"

"What a surprise," Cobweb snorted and ducked quickly in the cap after receiving an angry glare from Hoggle.

"And may I ask," the Sphinx intervened, "what's your part in all this…?"

The wolf briefly looked at the beast, his lips twisting. He hesitated, the red gleam returning fleetingly in his eyes. Then he lowered his head and confessed silently, "I betrayed her…"

None had time to reply. Suddenly, they heard a loud swooshing sound and looked up. Hoggle couldn't prevent the alarmed sound escaping his mouth, recognizing the same white owl flying towards them. "Oh no!" he gasped. "Th' King…he's here!"

"Stay where you are!" The Sphinx gave the dwarf a sharp glance, turning his face back to the bird. Flapping its wings, it landed down, staring at the group with bright eyes.

The Sphinx took a step forward, lowering his head. "My Lady…" his voice bellowed all around them. "What may I do for you?"

The bird turned her eyes towards the dwarf and the hissing wolf, blinking. She tilted its neck while opening her beak, and Hoggle gasped when he heard an ethereal-like woman voice speaking up.

"_You must save the dream of the King. You must return his heart."_


	27. Secrets

The regular disclaimer applies. I don't own Labyrinth and blablabla...

**LEGEND**

Secrets

Staring at them unblinkingly, the owl unnerved the dwarf more than even the Sphinx had been able to. He felt the sweat forming up beneath his chin and let out a relieved exhale as the Sphinx spoke up, snaring the bird's attention.

"My Lady," the Sphinx grunted, bowing. His granite eyes gleamed like black pools of dark water in his face. "I've guarded the treasure for a long time. It's still safe."

Hissing angrily, the owl stepped closer. Her eyes flashed brightly, the black pupils only narrow slits. Somewhat relieved Hoggle realized the owl's eyes were blue instead of burning yellow of his King.

"_What's the use for a heart if the dream is dead?"_ she asked, and the Sphinx stared at the bird until turned away his face.

"I see," the beast muttered thoughtfully.

"_Yes_," the bird nodded. _"The King spread his web but in the end got caught up in it by himself."_ Her voice echoed hollowly in the chamber, and she ruffled her feathers._ "He is unaware of the consequences. By crossing his word, he, himself, was crossed. There is much too much at stake now!"_

"Pardon me," Hoggle finally found strength to talk, and the bird turned to Hoggle. "But why can't ya do somethin' yerself. I mean…" he stammered, seeing the bird's eyes flashing brightly, "ya apparently know a lot more than we…And look at us." He pointed at himself and the fairy in his cap, letting out a bitter laugh. "A coward dwarf, a fearful wolf, an injured fairy, and an boasting sphinx. What good can we do against the Goblin King?"

"Show some respect! And don't you dare to doubt her Ladyship" the Sphinx snarled. "Or me," he added as an afterthought.

"_No…" _Surprisingly, the bird sounded almost amused. _"The gardener asks a good question, and it's only fair I reply." _She flapped her wings, dusting off the sand and the dirt. _"There are laws, and then there is the Law."_

"Which means?" the fairy inquired curiously, staring at the faintly glowing bird with an awestricken look on her face.

The bird took off, flying higher finally landing on the horns of a blackened figure of a bull-looking beast guarding the gate in front of them. The bright aura surrounding her strengthened, and her voice grew in volume.

"_I'm the guardian of this place…one of the many labyrinths created millenniums ago…"_

"Is this the first Labyrinth then, milady?" the wolf asked silently, taking a step forward.

The bird laughed amusedly, and the echo rung in the darkness like chiming bell and silver-mouthed birds. _"First?" _she repeated, ruffling her wings, and tilted her head. _"No. But let us say…one of the first ones."_ Her voice grew more distant, echoing around them like she would be everywhere. "_But like all places in the end, also my kingdom crumbled. Its secret was revealed, and the beast was slain. Yet, that is not the end. For as long as there are dreamers, there shall be new labyrinths, new dreams to be conquered."_ Her gaze bore through Hoggle. "_For what is life but a search for a centre of all dreams that can never be truly found?"_ Tiredly and sadly, she glanced away.

The prolonged silence rung in Hoggle's ears as he stared at the glowing bird with his forehead marred. The bird moved on her perch, looking down at the small group.

"_Once __I ruled over the oceans and blazing white cities under the cobalt-blue skies. But now only memory of that prevails, and I live as a fleeting echo, a whisper overseeing my crumbled Kingdom and its last inhabitants."_

"The Furies…" They all whispered at the same time.

She ruffled her wings. "_They promised they would look after my beautiful city and protect my people. In return, I blessed them with eternal beauty and joy", _the owl told, her voice turning bitter and harsh as she flapped her wings. A cold draft rose as of nowhere, freezing Hoggle. _ "But they didn't keep their word. Unsatisfied, lusting only after __sacrifices and __blood, they abandoned their task and allowed my Kingdom to collapse._" The wind died, and she lowered her wings, sighing.

The fairy let out a small shriek as faint fog started to rise from the ground. Like cold and wet tendrils of a snake it circled around them, crowding the space until they saw nothing but the glowing bird sitting on a top of a black gate and white fog. Hoggle nearly yelped as someone stepped closer to him. It took some time to realize the trembling creature pressing itself to him was the wolf. He placed his hand against the soft fur, willing the creature to calm down. His own heart pound in his own chest but apparently the wolf was even more afraid.

"_My brother and I hunted them for a long time until, finally, at the __edges __of the __lands __of the Half-Dog men, the  Underground folk and the feeble Pygmies, we reached them,"_ the owl continued, and Hoggle gasped at the visions of the past appearing to his eyes. The images emerged from the fog, following each other: A burning sun streaked through the sky, and dark shadows rode across it, passing rugged shapes of mountains and tumbling streams of water, and the stars. The constantly changing images halted, the fog froze and revealed a sight of a familiar landscape: a twisting from of the Labyrinth and its red-tinted sun.

"Ya mean, in the Underground?" Hoggle asked, dumbfound.

"_Yes. The Furies fled to the Underground," _the owl said._ "And we fought a long time. But they were no match for my brother and me. I pierced one of the sisters with my sharp-edged spear and stripped them off their power. They turned back to hideous beast they had earlier been, broken and ragged."_

Her eyes flashed, and the fog revealed an image of two grey clothed figures. Hoggle trembled at the sight of their wrinkled long-nailed hands and tattered wrath-like clothes. He let out a relieved sigh as the image vanished.

"_But I couldn't banish them totally,"_ the owl said silently, and another vision appeared.

Lanky man with blond unruly hair framing a gaunt arrogant face stepped up. The Goblin King lifted up his hand, pinning his gaze at somewhere only he could see, and something pitying briefly crossed his face. The unseen wind dragged his glimmering cape, and, mesmerized, Hoggle stared at the image of his King turning and walking away.

"_For the Goblin King pitied the Furies, and vowed me not to destroy them." _She sighed again. "_A mistake from his side, but he was still young and innocent, and I was too tired."_ Hoggle nearly snorted at the thought of an innocent Goblin King. _"It was his land, and I was weary of my sufferings. I agreed if I could stay to keep watch over the Sisters." _

"What's so bad they can do?" the wolf asked silently at Hoggle's side. "They're only remnants of revenge…"

"Yet it's the King," the Sphinx answered for his mistress, stepping through the fog, "who wants to have his revenge."

"On Sarah," Hoggle gasped, pieces starting to fall on their place.

Hoggle could almost hear Cobweb furrowing her brows as she asked, "But what is the role of the Othering in all this?"

The owl, perched high above the gate, sighed loudly. _"The King did something very stupid…He gave up his heart."_

"What?" Hoggle repeated, scratching his head. "He lost it?"

The Sphinx grunted annouedly, giving a fleeting glance at the owl. "My Lady, the dwarf's a moron. Please, let me kill it before it even forgets how to talk…" Without waiting an answer, he, turning to Hoggle, opened his sharp-teethed jaw. "The King ripped his heart of from his chest and buried it…"

"…to the Night Fall's Land!" Cobweb interrupted, screaming. Hoggle stared at the beast wide-eyed, finally realizing the familiarity of the glow surrounding the beast and the odd scent of magic lingering around him.

"Ya carry his heart…" he gasped.

o O o

Panting loudly, Sarah run towards the item in the centre of the crumbled arena surrounded by rising tiers of deteriorating stone seats. The silent puffing of her feet padding against the soft sand and her ragged breathing echoed in her ears, her eyes transfixed on the figure she perceived enfolded in the shimmering transparent casket.

The closer Sarah got, the clearer she perceived the figure; a young girl with dark hair cascading down on slender shoulders, the tattered clothes and scratches on the pale skin. Linda's eyes were shut as if she was sleeping.

Sarah reached the casket, placing her hand against the glass. It was the size of Sarah, full of sharp angles and edges like the artist hadn't bothered to properly finish molding of the glass. The surface felt relentless against her fingers, emitting certain kind of coldness; Sarah guessed it must be enhanced. She back-stepped, narrowing her eyes, and glanced around.

Her gaze wandered towards the row of seats. Hissing, she sprinted toward the crumbled wall. Using the holes in the wall as her leverage, Sarah climbed on the auditorium and scrambled down, sweeping the dust and sand from her way until her hands found a hard form of a stone hidden in the dirt. After measuring it in her hand and deciding it would be fit for the intended purpose, she threw it down on the arena.

Holding the crude rock in her hands, Sarah approached the casket caging her niece. She evaluated the glass carefully, hesitating, and, then, lifted the rock and mashed it into the chest.

_Crack! _

Only a huge crack appeared on the side of the casket, slicing the view over Linda, dividing her into two. Narrowing her eyes, Sarah lifted the stone another time and thumped it against the glass.

_Crack!_

The shards fell down on the sand like a glimmering rain. Sarah stepped backwards, avoiding the sharp chunks of the glass, watching the lone figure enfolded within the glass to slacken from its frozen position.

Thumping loudly, the girl's body fell down on the ground. Forgetting the glimmering sharp shards Sarah knelt down, crying. "Linda!"

She lifted the listless body on her lap, sweeping the remnants of shards from the unconscious face, caressing girl's hair gently. Tears welled in her eyes, her chest hurt so much it welt painful to breathe. She buried her face against the soft pile of dark hair, whispering, "Please, Linda…Please, wake up!"

As Sarah kept her face buried in Linda's dark hair, breathing deeply, she could almost hear the invisible pointers of clock ticking the time away. Her eyes stung and anger flared in her. How could he! Sarah jerked up her head, hearing a soft gasp. With a fervent hope churning her chest, she stared at the unconscious face and then saw her eyelashes trembling.

"No…" A soft heave escaped from the girl's lips, and her body tensed.

"Calm down, Linda…" Sarah soothed the girl desperately, caressing her face. "I'm here. All's well…"

The girl struggled, however, trying to free herself from Sarah's grasp and moaning at the same time. The sound of her desolate voice ignited a burning rage within her. Trying to subdue the hate she was feeling for the Goblin Kin, she bent over the girl, gently caressing her.

"Linda. It's me, Sarah!"

Uncaring of her words, the girl twisted and jerked from her touch, bending her neck and letting out a desperate inhuman yell.

"Noooo!"

Sarah didn't let her go, and finally girl's struggling ceased. She calmed down, her breathing slowing down. She opened her eyes, blinking. And then she opened her mouth.

"Aunt Sarah?" Linda gasped. "What are you doing here?"


	28. Knives in the Dark

Author's Note: I'm actually rather blown away. I'm approaching the end. The story will be soon finished! That doesn't mean **the end **though… If someone's been a keen reader, s/he's most likely noticed some small changes in the text in previous chapters. I have to polish some parts (like correct grammar and some of the dialogue) but nothing fancy. Overall, I'm rather happy with the way the story stands now.

Therefore, I would like to thank you all who've been reading and commenting Legend (especially you, fantastic notwritten). And without further blabbering, on with the story!

(And no, I still don't own Labyrinth. Ha! Thought I would forget that one, now didn't you?)

**LEGEND**

Knives in the Dark

"Saving you of course." Sarah smiled. "Can you stand up?" she asked while steeling a worried glance about, expecting to see the Goblin King at any time. The least she wished now to see him making his entry and foil all her changes of saving Linda. Luckily, the arena remained as silent and abandoned as previously. She returned her attention back to her niece. "We need to get going…"

"Yes…." Linda swallowed, placing her hands against the ground and staggered clumsily on her feet with Sarah helping her. She looked around them, noticing the glass shards laying around them and glanced at Sarah. "Where are we?"

Sarah snorted. "We're in an underground labyrinth." She started briskly steering her niece towards the entrance on the other side of the arena. The wavering torches hardly drove the loitering darkness away.

"But, but…" Linda squeaked, pulling her to halt. "How did I get here? And where did you come?" Her eyes narrowed as she regarded Sarah.

Sarah's forehead marred, the panic gnarled her nerves -- or the little that was left of them any longer. "We really don't have time for this, Linda."

"There's always time, Aunt," the girl said silently. Something flashed in her eyes, and Sarah felt a cold draft causing goose bumps on her skin.

Something was not right... Sarah's forehead marred, and she took a desperate glance at the surrounding once again. Something -- a sixth sense told her her time was running out. "Not now," she shook her head in denial "We must find the exit and the Goblin King's castle." She urged Linda to follow.

"The Goblin King…" Linda repeated hoarsely, looking back and at the fallen shards at their feet they crossed. the crumbling sound echoed in the ancient room that had not heard of any sound for eons. It sounded like a blasphemy, and the girl cringed as Sarah stepped over the glass. Shadows of the burning lights cast on her face, flickered in her eyes. She trailed her gaze down to her feet. "He sent me here." She closed her eyes and trembled as remembering. "The Shadow Sisters…" she breathed out abruptly, looking at Sarah with a frightened expression on her face. "They're hunting me!"

"Who?" Sarah barely had time to ask when she heard it in her ears, a high-pitched moaning echoing about, drawing nearer.

"Get her, get her, rip her heart…"

While turning around both of them fixed their gazes at the entrance from where Sarah had entered the arena. The light flickered and grew, wavering restlessly in the chilly draft that crept across the ground and through the holes in the crumbled walls. The shadows grew longer, crawling across the sand towards the woman and her trembling niece.

"They're here." The girl's voice was just a broken whisper in Sarah's ears. "They want to kill us -- me!"

"Oh, they can try." Sarah frowned but couldn't prevent her frightened gasp when they finally appeared in her sight. She pushed Linda behind her, retreating.

The women, since women they had to be based on the voices Sarah had heard -- those hoarse whispers almost lost in the cold breeze that tore and rippled their veils; had appeared from darkness. Like dark butterflies massing into shadows that slid across the glimmering sand and the sharp shards and grew into full heights. Still oddly spectral, flickering in her sight and disappearing again. The clothes were of grey, almost colorless fabric, and fluttered ghostly around their figures as they stood there in the dusk. With her watching, the women became more solid. Like a collective thought of one physical entity, they took a step forward. Sarah's stare fixed at the gleaming knife in the leader's hand.

"Go away!" she snapped, she was backing away and pushing Linda further from the women -- the Shadow Sisters. She realized now what she had meant with the term. They reeked of wrongness, blood and hate. She shivered involuntary, unable to rip of her gaze from the ghost-like women -- more like creatures actually.

They pulled closer soundlessly. Even the sand didn't hiss under their bare-footed striding. "We smell it, the blood, the hate. The anger in you…" their voice hummed softly, sounding as they were almost singing. Sarah gulped down a nervous lump, realizing the women had begun to split up, and were now approaching her and Linda from three different sides and enclosing them.

"Back off!"

They halted, and the leader, who was facing Sarah almost straight face-to-face, tilted her masked head. "O' thee feeble mortal…" she hushed with a low voice. "Thee shall pay for thy deeds."

_Deeds? _Sarah furrowed her browns, something didn't sound right. _She?_

She didn't even have time to gasp as the women lunged forward, spreading their hands on their side as trying to grab her into a mutual caress. Sarah blinked, staggering backwards, certain she saw something wrong. It looked like some sort of blackness was emitting of them, nearly transparent web of darkness that diffused into the air and crowded the space between the women. Holding their shadowy web in their out-stretched hand they started moving around her faster and faster; singing.

"At last!" the leader cried triumphantly. Faster the moved, and their sounds grew higher. "The clear trail of the soul we're after. Oh, the labour. The child-killing labour. My lungs are bursting…over the wide rolling sea we've ranged in flock, hurdling the waves in wingless flight and now we come, all hot pursuit, outracing ships astern – and now she's here, cowering like a hare…the reek of human blood – it's laughter to my heart!

Sarah's gaze darted around fervently while she looked for a way to slip through the women gliding in their ghost-like dance. The darkness of their web had been spread all over her. But, Sarah realized with a sudden tranquility that washed over her, Linda would be safe. There was no escape for her, but at least Linda would have her change.

"Linda! Run!" Sarah ordered tartly without bothering to check whether the girl obeyed. She took a step forward the dancing shadows flashing by her peripheral vision.

And the long dagger of the Shadow Sister's leader glistened in black and oily in the wavering light as she suddenly halted. Her sisters still danced around her and Sarah, howling mindlessly and wordlessly about the rage churning them.

And the grey tattered veil fluttered as the leader slid over the ground to meet Sarah. Her fingers squeezed the handle tightly, and she raised it high upon her head.

o O o

Hiding in the shadows, the lone barn owl watched the sight with a lustful gleam in his burning yellow eyes. Sarah would lose, he knew. Everything had transpired according to his plans. The players were been brought together as he had told; the Goblin King always kept his word. He almost smiled.

And the waiting of all these years would be over; he almost smelled it; the sweet scent of his compensation and the absolute payback. It was so close… The hollow ache in his chest would be sealed.

He missed hearing the faint thumping, the distant echo he only dreamt in his slumber these days.

So close…

o O o

And the fleeting miniature shadows behind the shards of the glass and mirror dispersed allover the rough and coarse sand trembled and wavered, knowing their wait was approaching to its end. Oh, the sweet taste of the Otherside. The True Side. The time drew near, and soon they would all be free to roam the world.

_Yess…._they hissed softly. _Sister, sister. Set us free…_

o O o

Linda didn't answer, seeing the Furies approaching Sarah. She bent down on her knees, keeping her eyes pinned on Sarah and reached out her hand to the ground. Her fingers curled around the gleaming long spike of broken glass, and as she fisted it tighter in her grasp; the small driblets of dark red blood spurt through his knuckles and fingers.

Silently, she got up on her feet. And uncaring of the dark web that the Furies had spun around to separate her from Sarah, stepped through.

Silently, wordlessly, she lifted up the transparent, glassy shard. Her gaze trailed down, and she flashed a pointed smile at the dark-caped miniature figure behind the shattered glass.

o O o

The shadows-creatures howled and banged the surface with their fist from the Other Side.

_Sister, sister! Set us free!_

o O o

The shimmering and hesitant dark web of the revenge the Furies spun with their wordless song hummed and trembled with an ear-screeching loudness. And the two knives held high up flashed at the same time.

o O o

All movement stopped. For a split-second, the time stilled, stretched and silenced. The owl sitting on his perch high upon the scene narrowed his eyes. He couldn't prevent the uncontrollable tremble of his body, couldn't deny the distant echoes of his buried heart as the thumbing grew in volume in his ears. The shadows behind the broken glass hissed and retreated as the ancient magic sprung alive. The bright blue light crowded the arena and banished the darkness. The Goblin King let out a loud his and with bristled feathers looked down. The fury burned him, the frozen figures of the Furies and the Othering remained only as a vague memory in the back of his mind as he spread his wings. He had to interfere or all would be lost.

"Sarah! Lookout!" the shout broke the stilled time. He almost heard the cracks as time hurried back to the Under's Ground.

Cursing loudly, the Goblin King landed down. With a haste, he transformed to his normal form and without bothering to even wait the change to complete paraded to the small group standing at the edge of the arena. He recognized the trembling wolf behind the Sphinx, but it was not the wolf who had attached his attention. He didn't know the stone-monster but wasn't surprised to find _Her_ minions here. This was, after all, _Her_ kingdom.

No, it was someone totally else that snared the King's attention.

"You!" The Goblin Kings stopped and lifted his hand, pointing at the uggly face of the dward; glowering. "This time I'll deal with you personally, Hoggle..."


	29. Wheel of Fortune

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

Wheel of Fortune

_--And I will show you something different from either  
Your shadow at morning striding behind you  
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;  
I will show you fear in a handful of dust.  
- - - The Burial of Dead by T.S. Eliot_

"This time I deal with you personally!" the Goblin King hissed through his clenched teeth. He grasped forward, curling his glove-clad fingers around paralyzed Hoggle's throat. Effortlessly, he yanked the dwarf up, and dangling him on the throat, grinned menacingly.

"This'll be the last time you interfere with my plans!" the King hissed his eyes only narrow dark slits in his face, and his hold on Hoggle's throat tightened. The dwarf's eyes bulged

"Gggrr," Hoggle wheezed, holding on Jareth's arms and trying to loosen the grip and produce some space in which to breathe.

"Stop it!" Cobweb screamed desperately, holding on the brim of Hoggle's cap and clinging to it. She had been flung out of her self-made nest of safety. "Please stop it!"

Jareth didn't pay any attention to the chirping fairy, if he even heard her frantic screams. His skin gleamed in the dim light, clammy with sweat. His face was twisted in inhuman snarl, his teeth bared to the dwarf.

In the back of his mind, with the part of him that was not consumed by this burning fearful anger, he wondered why the stone monster didn't move. He sat motionless like frozen on his place and observed the situation calmly.

Then his tail whooshed, he rose to his feet and stepped closer. Involuntarily, Jareth's grasp loosened with a possible prospect of the monster interfering. The Sphinx might not win him but, nevertheless, with his hands full of one annoying dwarf, Jareth didn't think he would be able to deal the monster at the same time. However, the Sphinx's eyes were fixed to somewhere behind Jareth's back. The ground trembled as his paws padded against the sand-covered ground, and he passed them, heading towards the center of the arena.

"No…" Hoggle rasped, snaring back his attention.

"What?" he hissed while bringing the dwarf closer and scowled. "Any last words, you twerp?"

Hoggle choked with a flushed face and blinked his eyes. The haziness in his sight cleared, his gaze focused as he met the King eyes and frowned.

"Only this…" Hoggle wheezed beneath the pressure of the King's grip, his jaw set. An alarming certainty on that something wasn't right raided through Jareth's mind. Sensing something moving, his head shifted to glance over his shoulder. He never had time to look behind.

A heavy load jumped on his back and forced him to let go of Hoggle. Letting out a muffled curse, he staggered, his grasp on Hoggle loosening. Struggling, he tried to hold his stand -- to no avail. The creature scratching and tussling in his back forced Jareth down. For a brief moment Hoggle's and Jareth's eyes met. The dwarf blinked and swiftly rolled on his stomach, avoiding the falling King.

The sand wisped around; it penetrated nostrils and eyes, momentarily blinding the King. He felt the pressure to lift from his back, a warm breath tickling his skin. The fury blazed into a burning rage when he heard the familiar voice.

"Eat dirt!" the wolf growled in the ear of the Goblin King.

-o-o-

At the sound of someone shouting her name, Sarah stole a fleeting look with the corner of her eyes. "What?" she barely managed to gasp and jump from the gleaming glass shard that tore the air with a loud hiss.

Linda stumbled down, piercing the ground with her self-made knife.

"Linda!" she gasped, staring at her niece unbelieving the sight. "Linda…?" her words cut with an agonized scream. A stabbing pain cut her shoulders, sending tendrils of ache all over her body. She fell on her knees, looking up and holding to her shoulder. She felt her fingers turning slippery, the throbbing pain increasing.

The Furies had stopped their mad dance. They stood still, watching her warily. Then the leader of the group lifted her arms on her side, palms towards the ceiling, staring at Sarah through her veil. "Oh, she is wounded!" she laughed with a glee. "The splash of blood churns my vein!"

Sarah struggled up, staggering away from the mad ladies. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Linda bending down to pick up the glassy knife. Breathing raggedly, she crawled further away. What was going on? Whatever it was, she would need to act now.

Maybe talking would buy her some precious time?

"What do you want?" she croaked at the veiled women, her gaze darting from side to side, looking for an opening. But the Furies had her surrounded. They were approaching her from different directions, blocking her from possible escape routes. Sarah blinked her eyes, noticing her niece following behind the leader of the Furies.

None of them showed any signs of stopping.

"The earth reeks of blood that must be atoned. The death calls another death."

"Death?" Sarah whispered.

"Death of children! Life taken by force!" the Fury snapped, stretching her naked hand through her veil, and Sarah's eyes set on the slender pale fingers pointing at her. Her eyes narrowed, and she fleetingly stole a glance on the Fury's feet. The sight confirmed her doubts.

"The children's blood that wets the ground, you can never bring it back; and the Earth drinks, and the running life is gone. You shall give me blood for blood, that you must!" the Fury hissed through her teeth.

"Since when the Furies have worn pink nailpolish?" The words were out of her mouth before Sarah could prevent them.

Shocked silence fell over them. The leader startled, and Sarah felt the Fury's eyes burning through the veil, the dark gaze searching her face as if trying to see through her.

Then two others let out an agonized scream.

"Sister, no! She wants the trial for her crimes, like he. Never! Never again!"

But the leader of the Furies didn't answer. Unmoving, she stared at Sarah. Sarah could see the shocked face of Linda behind the Fury. Her niece's eyes were gleaming murderously, and her white-knuckled hand squeezed the sharp knife so tightly Sarah could see driblets of dark blood running down her skin.

Holding on the gash in her shoulder, Sarah struggled to stand up. Her eyes were fixed on the Fury standing in front of her. Hesitantly, she approached the softly swaying creature. She could smell the musk, the incense of the sandalwood and myrrh circling around the Fury. The clothes gently swayed in the draft that lingered about; and like a wisp of tattered storm-coloured clouds her veil revealed her gleaming dark eyes. Sarah heard hissing and raging sound, _sh, sh, sh_, the closer she got.

Sarah was so near the leader of the Furies could easily have stabbed her with a long pointed knife she still held in her hand. Instead, the leader stood still, her hands trembling quietly.

Sarah stopped, slowly reaching her hand toward. The Fury didn't dodge, and Sarah's fingers grasped on the fabric of her veil. Slowly, she pushed the veil away, exposing a chin, pale skin filled with long scratches and dots as if bitten by animal. Higher she lifted the veil, revealing a nose, high cheekbones and finally the eyes staring at her in a fervent rage.

The strength fled her body. She staggered, tasting the acid-like taste of vomit in her mouth. "Oh no…" Sarah back-stepped with her eyes transfixed on the face of the Fury standing in front of her.

The Fury-Linda blinked her eyes, and the heads of dark snakes curling around her face shifted restlessly, hissing.

The Furies wailed softly.

_Aie, aie, aie…_

_Sh. Sh. Sh…_

"Down she goes…" the Fury-Linda whispered through her parched lips. Her eyes flashed, and she stepped forward. "Over the victim's burning head this chant, this hymn of Fury…ripping cross the lyre…"

"Linda, please." Sarah shook her head, retreating from her way. "It's me, Sarah…" She could see the other -- the creature that looked but was not Linda approaching behind the Fury-Linda.

The Fury-Linda hesitated, and the dark gleaming heads of the hissing snakes shifted restlessly. Sarah could see one of them coiling and slithering next to Linda's ear, licking with pink tongue the lobe, hissing in a low voice. _Sh, sh, sh._ Her eyes glazed over, and she stepped forward.

"Sister, sister, the trail is long. The Earth weeps for blood," the other Furies chanted. "Even at birth, our rights were so ordained…"

"Mine is the overthrown of houses," Linda hissed hoarsely, "yes, when warlust reared like a tame beast seizes near and clear – down on the man we swoop, aie!"

Her eyes burned, the sweat trickled down on her forehead as she slowly drew near to Sarah.

"Down she goes, sensing nothing, blind with defilement…" Her hands squeezed the dagger more tightly, and she lifted it up once again.

"Cease!" A dark roaring voice rumbled then. "No more of this foolishness!"

Snarling, the other Furies spun around to the speaker, but the Linda-Fury remained on her place, the knife in her hand, and gazing at Sarah with her dark pained eyes. The snakes shifted again, impatiently, hissing in a sinister way.

"The stonebeast, begone! You, the wretched subject of the Owl Queen's will!" the other women snarled. "Stay away from the matter of the Night! The law of day ends where the sun sheds no light."

The Sphinx snorted, sitting down and staring at the veiled women with contempt. "You poor creatures of dust, misery and hate." He shook his head. "Once you had it all, the beauty, the light, the justice…"

"Her justice, not ours!" they cried. "She forced on us her law, her lot never was meant for us! Never!"

The Sphinx's eyes narrowed. "Yet you accepted it! Promised to guard her city and people!"

"She rid down the ancient laws, wretched them from our grasp! And with her sleek, poisonous words she promised us the sun, the joy and sweet scent of myrrh. It was she who broke her wow and cast us away. Scattered, like frightened bats, we fled."

"Enough!" the Sphinx roared, leaping forward, and his tail swung angrily behind his back as he treaded closer to the Furies. "You coward, you loathsome beasts! Even the gods detest you now!" He scowled. "Look at yourself -- hiding, cowering, half-dead madwomen! Where's the greatness of the Night? Where's your song of hate? Your lyre's been broken; your mother abandoned you. You broke your sacred oath! Your judgement was fair."

"Aei! Such cruel words!" the wailed, swaying. "They require punishment, forfeit from us! Sister!" The women turned to Linda, crying, "Join us! Show the Owl Queen's cursed beast the might of the Night!"

Linda blinked, still staring at Sarah, listening to the snakes that hissed at her low and long. Her hand holding the long dagger wavered.

"Linda!" Sarah commanded, closing the space between them. The girl didn't move, and Sarah's fingers gently curled around her wrist. She pushed the hand down, staring into Linda's eyes. "Come back, Linda." She leaned closer, capturing the girl in her embrace. "Linda, come back!"

She felt the girl's body stiffening. A sharp intake of air.

"Your mother and your father need you," Sarah whispered. "Remember Jessica, Linda. Remember your mother…"

The snakes hissed angrily, moving violently. Singing pain forced tears in her eyes, the sharp teeth pierced her skin as the creatures sunk their fang in her. She didn't let go.

"Mom…" a sigh escaped Linda's lips, and the snakes screamed as in pain.

Sarah hugged the girl more tightly, feeling her muscles tensing. Linda started trembling, jolting violently against Sarah's hold.

She didn't let go.

"NO!"

-o-o-

"Quickly!" the wolf snarled at Hoggle, standing on the King's back and holding him on the ground. "Take the heart!" he commanded.

Gasping, Hoggle crawled to his legs and dusted his hands on his pants. At the wolf's words, he flung his hands on his chest.

Hurriedly, he searched through his pockets and drew out a glowing orb, a crystal. The ball cast flickering blue light around, and Hoggle swore he heard steady sounds of thumping, felt the orb pulsating rhythmically against the skin of his palm.

Jareth let out an inhuman-like growl, struggling against the wolf as if the mere presence of the glowing orb caused him great pains.

"How do we get it back at him?" Hoggle stared at the orb, then at the convulsing Goblin King.

"I don't know!" the wolf snarled, fighting to keep the King confined against the ground. "But hurry up!"

Hesitantly, Hoggle approached the Goblin King, stretching the shining heart forward. With his watching, the shine suddenly flickered. "It's dying!" Hoggle screamed.

"Well, do it fast then!" the wolf barked, letting out a pained yelp as the King succeeded to grab him on the ears.

"You idiots!" Cobweb shouted dusting herself off. "You cannot insert it from his back! It has to be placed through his chest!"

They froze. Suddenly, the wolf yelled. The next moment, he was flying across the arena, falling down with a loud thump. Hoggle swallowed, bringing up his gaze, and retreated from the furious Goblin King while holding protectively the glowing heart in the cup of his palms.

"You stupid twerps!" the Goblin King snarled, striding forward. "I will make you pay for this!"


	30. The King and the Fool

Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

The King and the Fool

Hoggle stared at Jareth pacing closer with a murderous gleam in his eyes and mouth in a foul snarl. The heart the dwarf protected with his palms trembled and shivered – like scared? _Such a small thing…_ he wearily thought, backing off. What would happen if he would break it? For awhile, he was tempted. Maybe it would kill the Goblin King. At the moment, Hoggle couldn't find a reason why the bastard should be kept alive. Damn sure, he had done his best in getting rid of Hoggle himself. The nerve of the prig, dragging Sarah and her niece here too! And who knew what Jareth had done to Hoggle's friends during this time?

"I don't know where you got that!" Jareth scowled, pointing at the shining crystal Hoggle held. "But I'm going to make sure this'll be the last time I see it. Or you!"

"Catch me then, yar Goblin Majesty!" Hoggle hissed, turning around and sprinting to run.

"Hoggle! No!" Cobweb screamed at the dwarf but her words remained unheard. "Stupid dwarf…" the fairy muttered, giving a nasty glance at the wolf that staggered to his legs.

"Ouch…" he muttered, stretching his neck in a rolling movement. "I think I hurt my head…"

"Never mind about that!" Cobweb scowled, pointing toward the furthering back of Hoggle and Jareth who was chasing, and reaching, the dwarf. "You have to stop that nonsense!" she hissed. "With this way we never succeed in returning his heart …"

The wolf's eye's flashed, his fur prickled, and he let out a low growl. "For heaven's sake, Hoggle!" He shook his head and jumped forward, spraying the sand in the air with his paws. The grains poured down on the fairy, nearly burying her beneath.

"Yack!" Cobweb spat, wiggling herself back to the surface. She shook her fist to the animal. "Mind where you tread next time, will you?"

This hasn't been a good idea, Hoggle realized after awhile. His majesty had quite long legs whereas Hoggle's own were the half of that height, if even that. He didn't dare to look back, but he knew the King was gaining on him. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, urging his feet to move so fast he knew he had never run before. He failed to see the Goblin King stopping and grimacing while staring at the dwarf who kept on running further away.

He shook his head. "Such idiocy…" Jareth muttered, snapping his fingers, and disappeared…

…only to rematerialize on the path of Hoggle. The dwarf, maybe sensing him, lifted his face. The terror was written everywhere in his face as he noticed him. He tried to pull himself to halt, but it was too late. The Goblin King only needed to stretch his hand, grasp on the collar of the dwarf, pulling him next to him.

Hoggle struggled. "Ge' off me!" he shouted, trying to kick the Goblin King, still clinging to the glowing crystal he had pressed protectively against his chest.

"Give me that!" Jareth commanded.

"No!"

His face darkened. Quickly, without Hoggle being able to resist, Jareth bent over the dwarf, snatching the precious item into his glove-clad hands. His fingers curled around the orb, and he shivered sensing the faint pulse of his glowing heart.

"Like taking a candy from a baby…" the King muttered, eyes transfixed on the orb.

"Give it back!" Hoggle cried, and, with a frown on his face, Jareth pushed Hoggle down, squeezing the item tightly within his grasp and lifting it higher.

"You forget your position..." Jareth hissed, "Hoggle…" His eyes narrowed, and he quickly glanced at the Furies and Sarah.

"Ye leave her be!" Hoggle cried, noticing the direction of his stare. "Ye hear me?"

He jerked his head back and looked at the dwarf. "And what do you think you can do!" he snarled, delivering a faint kick to the dwarf. "Pathetic little scum such as you will never be any match for me!" Jareth bent closer, snarling, "She shall pay…just as you! You can be sure of that!"

He blinked, laying on the ground and staring at the King. "Don't ya have any heart?" the dwarf spat at last.

Hearing the question, his head jolted back, and he laughed. "Not anymore!" Jareth chuckled menacingly.

The King never saw the animal treading across the arena so fast it looked like a twirl of grey fur. Only when the wolf snarled out loud, Jareth realized his mistake. "Surprise!" the wolf growled. Leaping, the wolf jumped over Hoggle, with his sharp-teethed mouth wide open, on Jareth.

Suddenly, it let out a painful yelp. A blinding bright blue light exploded, sending tendrils of heat all over the place. The listless form of the creature fell down. The Goblin King let out a ruthless snarl, lowering his hand with a trace of the blue light still lingering on his fingertips. The crystal heart in his grasp flickered, and the light within started to fade.

"Wolf!" Hoggle screamed, scrambling hastily back to his legs. He didn't stop to think. Snarling and growling, he attacked the Goblin King. He jumped against his chest, pushing back the King's arm and taking him by surprise.

Hoggle's ears perceived an odd sound, like a 'plop'. The Goblin King let out a choke, his whole body jerked. Blinking, Hoggle froze and looked up.

He saw Jareth's face pale and grey. The King's his expression had turned pained and shocked. Blindly, he stared over Hoggle's head, his body convulsed by small gags.

Cautiously, Hoggle stepped backwards and gasped at the sight. The King's hand was shoved in his chest all the way until his elbow. A huge gash on the King's nude lean skin stretched from the edges of chest until his navel. Yet no blood oozed from the wound. The King stumbled on his knees with his hand buried deep in the skin. The mouth opened, he tried to speak but no voice came out, only a rattling sound escaped his throat.

With Hoggle watching, something -- a burning flame flashed in the King's eyes. A blue glow shone through his irises, and he moaned with wet tears pouring down on his cheek. The Goblin King blinked, and his body jerked. He was still choking. And then, he lugged his hand out of his chest, falling on his fours, panting.

Hesitantly, Hoggle took a step closer, unsure on what had just happened.

With a sound of his movement, the King looked up. His stare bore through Hoggle. Finally, he opened his mouth. Staring at Hoggle, he spoke, with his voice only a hoarse whisper, "Oh, Hoggle…What have I done?" Jareth shook his head and the sparkling tears slid down his face on the ground. "I've been such a fool…"

Hoggle never had time to answer.

"NO!"

Recognizing the voice, they looked at the direction of the shout.

"Sarah!" Both of them cried at the same time.

-o-o-

"Sarah…." Linda gasped, holding on the listless body of her aunt. "Sarah?" she repeated, looking up. Her eyes widened as she recognized her own face looking at her. She was standing in the opposite of herself? Linda shook her head, glancing about. Her head felt oddly heavy, she heard whispers and hisses but saw nothing. She returned her attention back to her aunt. What was Sarah doing here? Why didn't she move?

The mirror-Linda frowned, pulling the knife of Sarah's back.

"You – you stabbed her?" Linda gasped, finally realizing the reason for her aunt's limpness.

"It should have been you…"The other Linda frowned. "But I will have your life!" she snarled, taking a step forward. The blood-covered knife gleamed in the dim light as she raised it up, preparing to strike down.

Scared, Linda stumbled backwards, letting go of her aunt's listless body. It fell down with a loud thump. "I don't get it…" she whispered. "Why do you hate me? What have I done to you?"

At her question, the other Linda lowered her knife. "Nothing!" she snarled, poking Linda with her finger. "Nothing!" she repeated. "For years I've watched you doing nothing but worrying! You mother…" she frowned. "Your aunt!" she spat. "Oh, poor Sarah! Poor mom! Oh, dad! Oh, Linda, Linda…You're always ready to please others! But never! You have never been willing to stand for your own!" She closed the space between them. "I'm sick of you not living your life!" she snarled. "I might as well live it for you!"

The creature lifted the knife up once again.

"Halt!" They both jerked at the command.

The Goblin King stood behind the mirror-Linda, breathing heavily. "Don't do it…" he said quietly.

The Othering snorted. "You promised!" she hissed without turning to look. "You said I could have her life." Her hand shook, the blood dripped of the gleaming edge of the knife.

"Nevertheless," he said darkly, bending down to his knees and touching the dark hair of Sarah. He looked up at the Othering who had her back turned to him. "You shouldn't have interfered…." The Goblin King spoke in a low voice.

"It's not fair…" the creature hissed, and something dark slid over her eyes.

His teeth clasped together loudly. "I know." He picked up Sarah's unmoving body to his arms, rising to his feet and giving a cold glance at the Othering. "You can consider our deal off."

The mirror-Linda started to turn, holding on her knife, but she never succeeded. During her spin, the King casually waved the wrist of his hand, and the creature disappeared, leaving Linda leaning breathlessly against the cold wall of the arena.

She brought up her face, staring at the Goblin King, and spat at last, "And what do you think you're doing with my aunt?"

* * *

**A/N: Oh no! Is Sarah alright? What will now happen to Linda? Where did the Othering go? Read on, and you'll find out… **(and please remember to leave the contribution to little box!)


	31. In Consolation to Her

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or its characters. Actually, I own nothing of Labyrinth. And this tale is the only thing I'm capable to produce, that is, without any monetary compensation even. Happy?

**LEGEND**

In Consolation to Her

"Let her go!" Linda demanded with a hiss, taking a step forward half expecting him to snarl at her with contempt. "I don't know what you've done to her or how you got her here. But I swear…." He only sighed and looked down, gently caressing the face of Sarah and carrying her on his arms. An arm fell on her side, hanging listlessly in the air.

"If you have hurt her, I'll…I'll make you pay!" she spat through her clenched teeth, her whole body trembling in fury. The low hissing sound got stronger. She almost understood the words.

_Sh..shh…Blood for blood._

Noticing the gleaming glass knife of the Othering lying on the ground, half-buried in the sand, Linda knelt down to pick it up, her jaw set. How Sarah had ended up here, she didn't know. But just the mere sight of her pressed against his chest made her blood boil. How dare he!

His eyes narrowed, an echo of annoyance flickered in his eyes. "Child. What do you think you'd be able to do with that?" he snorted. "You'd truly be willing to throw away your aunt's sacrifice?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Linda spat, her hands grasping on the sharp weapon, and getting up.

_Sh...sh...sh._

"Child, look at yourself." The King's lips twitched sourly. "Half a monster, and a human only by name…" Something familiar briefly crossed his face, like a memory of a shadow -- a threat. He shuddered as in cold. His hold on Sarah tightened, and he secured her dark haired head more tightly against his chin. The King breathed deep. It almost looked as if he were inhaling her scent. The tension of his shoulders disappeared, his posture relaxed, and the dangerous glint of his eyes dimmed. He, then, looked only sad.

_Sh…sh.._

"Are you willing to give up your humanity?" he asked quietly. "Become one of them?"

Her hands started to shake. Images flashed though her mind: darkness, red-heated fury that burned her veins, wispy and tattered clothes caressing her skin soothingly. Voices… always singing in the back of her mind. Her breathing turned ragged, and a shadow of a coldness and pain slid over and enfolded her. "Them?"

"Yes," the King nodded at his side. The Furies."

_Sh, sh, sh…_

The hissing strengthened. On its own accord, her head slowly turned, and she looked at the direction to where the Goblin King had pointed. Her legs stumbled beneath her, a frightened gasp break out her mouth. Two shadowy figures swayed on the arena, howling softly.

"Sister, sister, cometh back…"

The hand holding the knife started trembling uncontrollably. Linda gasped, staggered backward. She remembered…

…_waking up, laying on a cold rock. Coldness. Darkness, and the sweet taste of wine lingering in her mouth. Memories of mother, mirrors. The edges of the rock poking in her back. Torches…Smoke, light and darkness. Stinging stench of an incense. Shadows, flickering in the hemisphere of her vision; and singing. A cry. A hiss. A chase through the darkness. The fangs against her skin._

The knife fell from her grasp. Her legs wobbled, and, trembling, she lifted her hands to touch her hair.

_Sh, sh, sh…_

"No…" A muffled sob escaped her lips, her knees wobbled, and she fell on her knees.

Her hair moved and swarmed. Soft touches of a tongue tickled her skin.

"No…" Linda repeated hoarsely, looking up. "What have you done to me?" Tears run down her cheek. "I'm not a human anymore!" She buried her face in her hands and rocked her body back-and-forth softly, trying to comfort herself, listening to the lullaby the slithering snakes hissed in her ears.

A pained expression run across his features, he almost moved as if he would step forward. But only almost. The King remained still, Sarah's listless body in his arms.

"It's not too late yet…" he said quietly. "If you reach the center before the clock strikes thirteen, if you speak out the words…"

"Why?" Linda cut him, jerking up her head. "Why should I believe in you? You kidnapped me from home! Threatened me! Lied to me! You almost killed me!" she bitterly accused.

"'Cause th' stupid king speaks th' truth this time…"

Startled, Linda turned to look at the speaker and blinked. Never in her life had she seen such a creature. He looked like a man, or a midget. Yet he clearly didn't belong to human race with his lump-covered face, over-sized head and round eyes size of a tea pan.

"Cobweb…?" she stammered aloud, noticing suddenly a familiar-looking fairy in his palms. The fairy gave her a wave with her hand, smiling sheepishly as in saying 'this wasn't my idea…'

"Why, thank you Hoggle," the King snorted dryly, glancing at his side. "Polite as ever…You seem to pick up the best traits from the people around you."

"Look who's talkin', Jareth!" Hoggle grunted, squashing his lips tightly. "I'm not th' one who ripped…"

"Hoggle…" Jareth warned him quietly, shaking his head. "Not now…" He turned his attention back to Linda, correcting his hold on Sarah. Her head shifted backwards, revealing her jaw and half-opened mouth. Linda's eyes crinkled. She didn't perceive her chest moving. Jareth continued, "Listen to the fairy or the dwarf if not me.

"Yes, Linda!" Cobweb peeped. "Hoggle used to be your aunt's friend."

She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the fairy's voice. The girl glared at her, letting out a low growl, "I thought you couldn't speak…"

"I'm sorry," Cobweb hid behind Hoggle's fingers, peeking through them at Linda. "We, fairies, don't usually speak to strangers…"

"Don't believe her," Hoggle snorted. "She's nothin' but talk." He looked up at Linda. "Th' bottom line is that th' King here is right. Ya should leave…"

"So what?" Linda sniffed in doubt. "I bet you lie just as well!"

"Not anymore," Hoggle gently said and shrugged his shoulders, glancing up. "Yar aunt changed that…" He drew in a gulp of air with his eyes fixed on Sarah. "I know his majesty is a pain in the arse…"

Jareth snorted but remained silent.

"But he's also right." Hoggle turned to Linda. "If ya don't reach th' castle before yar time is up, ya'll remain like that for th' rest of yar eternity. And ya'll have to stay here, with them…" He pointed to the Furies.

The words ignited the hope and the fear with such a force it nearly choked her. Then her eyes set on her aunt; she scrambled up. "But what about her?"

"I'm sorry Linda…" Jareth shook his head, his arms curled tighter around Sarah.

She nearly fell another time. "She's…she's…?"

He sighed. "The Othering stabbed her in the heart. It no longer beats," Jareth quietly told. "Sarah…" his voice strangled in his throat, and he forced down a choke. "She's dead." With a voice full of emotions, pain and regret, his stare shifted down to his feet.

"You bastard!" Linda screamed in rage, launching forward. "You killed her!"

She tried to hit the dark-clad King, but her hands never quite succeeded to reach their target. His features shivered, trembled and faded, and the King reappeared a few feet further a field. She spun around and jumped on him, still unable to reach him and her lifeless aunt he had captured to his embrace.

Resignedly, Linda soon gave up the chase. She stood still, breathing heavily, and turned when hearing a sudden sound.

A simple bed that was covered with white bed sheets appeared on the arena next to Hoggle, who had let out the scared yelp Linda heard. The dwarf smiled sheepishly at the girl, but Linda only glanced at him darkly.

"Bit jumpy…" he muttered and jumped again with the Goblin King making his appearance next to him. Carefully, Jareth lowered Sarah on the bed and turned to look at the girl. "Linda," the Goblin King's words lingered in her ears full of darkness, desperation and warning. His eyes flickered in the dusk as he continued, "If you want to return to your world, you must leave immediately!"

"So that you can use me again!" Linda hissed, pointing at Sarah. "You used me to get her; you wanted her dead!"

"Not dead." Jareth answered at last, so quietly she almost missed his words. Something in his forlorn tone chilled her bones. "But I wanted her..." His gaze searched for Sarah, and his hands moved as if to touch her hair. He squeezed his fist together, locking his teeth and interrupted his words in mid-sentence. "However. All's not lost," he said slowly. "There's still hope..."

Her eyes narrowed, and she took in a deep breath. "Why do you care?" she demanded after a while.

"Because…" His lips clammed tightly together; the movement stretched the skin in his face, and he appeared more strained, more gaunt. Pulling himself straight, Jareth stared at the girl. "I do."

She returned the stare, the soft whispers of the snakes caressing her ears. Briefly, Linda stole one wary glance on the Furies. They stood still, almost unmoving.

"We'll stay and guard her," Hoggle told just as much to her as the King. "She'll be safe."

He gave an absentminded nod, and his eyes turned darker as he regarded the girl standing in the dusk-crowded arena. And then he hissed, "Linda. You must run. Now."

She didn't move. The king was the same, Linda finally understood; yet he wasn't. Something had changed. His eyes no longer held their previous darkness. He looked more…alive. And broken. Slowly, hesitating and keeping her eyes on the King, Linda started to spin around. She took one step forward. Another. And at her movement, the Furies set off with a loud wailing, stretching their arms toward her.

"Nooo! Sister, sister! Cometh back! Let the Furies rule again!" Their voices rung and echoed in the arena as they desperately followed her escaping from their sight. They dared not to leave after her.

"Sister…." They shouted one final time before their voices were drowned in the darkness.

Linda didn't stop.


	32. Thirteenth Hour

A/N: I'm doing the updates quickly, as you can see. I still have one more chapter to update, and then, the story is at its end.

Once more a huge '**thank you**' to all you wonderful people: **Quillerella**, **notwritten**, **coffeeKris**, **Deathrose**, **Stella Cosmopolita**…and many others, who have supported me during the process. Even when reviews are not necessary, they are the best compliment an author can ever have for her writing.

I know the language has not always been the best, and for this I apologize. I have started fixing the chapters and try to correct mistakes whenever I see them. And I most certainly don't feel offended if you point a part with a bad grammar, or a wrong word. I write in English also because I want to become better, and in order to becoming better you need to fail, and then learn from your failures.

**Disclaimer**: I make no money with the story (I wish I did). I don't own the characters (I wish I did). I don't own rights to the movie (I wish I did). That's enough for wishful thinking. The truth remains -- I don't have any legal claims to the Labyrinth.

LEGEND

**Thirteenth Hour**

_Hear the loud alarum bells –  
Brazen bells!  
What a tale of terror, now their turbulency tells!_

"_The Bells" Edgar Allan Poe_

"Will she make it?" Hoggle asked in silence, staring into the darkness where Linda had disappeared. He glanced at the King worry flawing his face with a frown.

Hesitating, the King returned the expression. "It depends on her. She's half a shadow already; and shadows travel fast," said Jareth at last. "Maybe, if she believes in herself…"

Sighing, Hoggle turned to see the opening mouth of the arena, and his brows knit together as he thought about the young Williams. "That doesn't sound too good…" Hoggle muttered reluctantly.

"No," softly, Jareth agreed. He bent closer to Sarah, pushing her dark hair from her face a wisp of mournful air lingering about him.

"She looks like sleeping," Cobweb commented with a snort, staggering to her feet after climbing atop of the pillow.

He sighed. "In a way, she is." Looking up, Jareth flicked his hand to the air, and a gilded clock appeared with familiar Roman numbers circling its display panel. The item hovered in front of his face with its dark pointers remaining still, almost reaching the number thirteenth. For a short time he looked troubled.

"I remember her different …" Cobweb stared at Sarah's inert and pale face and briefly sidled her gaze to Jareth, bending closer and trailed fingers along the lines in Sarah's skin that surrounded her mouth and her eyes. The fairy's whole hand fit in the folds. Reluctantly, Cobweb pulled back, stating with a wonder, "She is different!"

"That's because she's older," Jareth brought his gaze back to Sarah and replied in a low voice. "It's over forty years since…then." He gave a small shake with his head. "I've been such a fool!" he repeated.

"Ya expect us to be surprised?" Hoggle grunted, touching carefully Sarah's hand. He grimaced when he felt the coldness of her skin. The dwarf glared at Jareth in dismay.

His mouth twitched as almost in amusement. "Probably not," the King confessed, pulling himself upright. "Hoggle, stay and guard her," he told to the dwarf. "I still have unfinished things to attend."

"Ya promise she'll be alright?" Hoggle asked worriedly, and a dark shadow crossed momentarily his face. "Since, if ya break yar word…" he threatened.

"I won't." Jareth shook his head, and, unconsciously, his hand touched the smooth skin on his chest and the edges of his dimly gleaming silvery sigil. The King sighed, letting his hands to fall on his side, and gave one final look at the motionless shell of Sarah lying unmoving on the bed.

"Please look after her."

With a startle, Hoggle looked up and met his eyes. Slowly, the dwarf nodded.

"Thank you, Hoggle."

The shock at his words bleached Hoggle's face; he couldn't reply, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Following with his stare Jareth turning his back on them and walking slowly away, Hoggle stuttered, "Ya heard that?" He turned to see just as dazed expression on Cobweb.

With cautious steps, the King approached the Sphinx and wondered silently what had urged the beast to leave his hidden corridors of the Night. His mouth set in a thin line as he walked closer to the stone monster carefully, knowing he could not afford to offend the creature. Yet Jareth yarned to learn about his involvement with the dwarf and the fairy.

The beast lay lazily on the ground, keeping a wary eye on the Furies. His thick tail occasionally flapped against the ground, sending grains of sand in the air. The Goblin King stopped, and the beast turned his head to his direction.

"Master Sphinx." Jareth tilted his head.

"Goblin King," the Sphinx returned his greeting, yawning. The row of his granite-like teeth gleamed in the torch's light as the beast stood up. Glancing briefly over the King's shoulders at Hoggle and Cobweb, his dark flat eyes flashed, and he said, "That is an unlikely, and a rather amusing duo, I would say."

Jareth's expression didn't falter but his eyes briefly flickered. "I believe I'm in your debt," Jareth said instead, chafing his chest. It still felt sore, and the beats of his heart carried a strange sensation. Slightly disorienting though not totally uncomfortable.

The Sphinx shook his head. "Nay. Thank your subjects. They did the work, I only happened to be here."

When he didn't answer, the Sphinx continued, "I think your Majesty should reconsider the banishment of the dwarf."

The monster glanced over his head, at the ceiling, and the King turned following the direction of the beast's gaze. A faintly glowing bird, blinding white owl, returned his stare while opening and closing her wings.

"My Lady asked me not to get involved..." the Sphinx muttered.

"You say so?" Jareth mused, nodding politely to the bird before turning around. "I suspect your Lady has another request for me then?"

"Only this," the Sphinx replied. "She asks you to think again your decision…In spite of everything she's willing to deliver the Law, if given the permission."

Jareth closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath before he looked at the Furies. The Goblin King watched them lengthy in silence, their tattered clothes, their desolate movements; he heard their weeping cries.

"Sister lost, sister gained…Oh, the pain, the labour…" the Furies wept after Linda, reaching out their hands after her.

"I thank your Lady for the offer," said he, turning around. "But I have to decline."

Swaying his tail, he nodded at the King. "I thought you might," the Sphinx replied. "And between you and me..." He regarded the King seriously, "I respect that decision."

Smiling cheerlessly, he asked, "What will you do now?"

The Sphinx grinned. "Why," glancing at the dwarf and the fairy, he replied. "I still have a new riddle to collect. But after that…" 'He shrugged his shoulders. "I go where my Lady wishes."

"You could always stay," said Jareth softly. "The high lords know I'm in a need of capable aide." His eyes stole a wary glance to the other side of the arena, remembering the unmoving grey-furred creature he had left there.

"Thank you, your Majesty." The Sphinx shook his head, ensnaring his attention again. "But this time it is I who have to decline. I have grown old. The stones of my body and my limps ache from all the millenniums they have carried." He gave out a weary sigh, glancing up. "But I have a small hope my Lady shall finally allow me to rest by her side in the slumber of our grave…"

"I think I understand that wish…" Jareth solemnly replied. Once again he stroke his chest with his hands. His face tightened, and another clock materialized from the thin air, tickling the time away with its ghostly sound. The pointers had almost reached the number thirteen.

He inspected the ticking timepiece, and pulled back his shoulders. "I bid you farewell, Master Sphinx," the King said. "The Goblin King is soon needed in the heart of the Labyrinth."

"So it would appears…" the creature mused aloud, and tilted his head like a shadow of a bow. "Farewell, your Majesty."

He didn't pay attention to the Sphinx any longer. With his jaw set, Jareth stared into the distance and disappeared. Only a rain of sparkling fleck lingered in the dim arena -- the Goblin King had hurried to meet Linda Williams.

- o -- o -

She panted. She dodged and jumped over the garbage laying on her way. She run like never in her life. She didn't look behind, not even for the tiniest glance. Linda didn't dare to stop. His word still echoed in her mind.

"_Run. Now_."

Run she would. Her fists squeezed even more tightly together as she urged her pace into greater speed. The ground became disoriented; the shadows enfolded her steps as she treaded through the darkness. The coiling and hissing snakes whispered at her.

_Shh, through the night. Run, woman of night, run with the shadows of the earth…_

Linda traveled through the darkness of the abandoned corridor. With the world turning a whirling mesh of grey, black, and light, she raced together with the darkness, gliding on the ground. She didn't even notice when she emerged from the tunnel of the Under's Ground, creeping like a shadow over the land from the turfs into the forest.

Feeling her passing by like a cold current of air, the wild sprites of the wood ceased their games and shivered, looking around in fright. However, when they saw nothing, the sprites resumed back to their tasks and forgot the passing sensation of coldness, hate and revenge Linda carried with her. By then the shadow of a girl that had once been and now quite wasn't Linda anymore had already reached the mountainous junk land of the Underground, the neglected childhood toys, clothes and furniture. As one of the shades of the ragged grey-colored clouds in the sky, her shadow slid onward, creeping over the junk piles, and reached the city wall. Finally, arriving at the castle's crowded throne room, filled with uneven hey piles, dispersed mugs and bowls that lie all over the floor, her body turned solid once more.

Gasping for air, she leaned against her legs and wildly blinked her eyes to drive the disorientation at bay. She looked around, crinkling her eyes, and looked about in the empty and lifeless room. The open window behind her let the last rays of the tangerine-colored sky to enter the room; it tinted the walls with orange and yellow light. A golden clock hung on the wall, and Linda let out a low hiss, noticing the arrow-shaped pointers to nearly achieve the last digits of its display.

Her head turned in desperate moves until she noticed an entrance at the end of the room. Without waiting longer, she dashed through the open doorway.

_She stepped in a room crowded with mirrors, all reflecting images of Linda with a dark hair that slithered alive, whispered and hissed. Everywhere she looked, glass panes surrounded her like a maze, each of them slightly different with concaves in their glass. Some of the mirrors distorted the dimension of her head showcasing it over half of her height, reaching the ceiling, whereas another pane reflected different picture back at her. Some mirrors had slight different curves and convex in the glass, giving Linda confusing reflections of herself: sometimes with a wide, stretched face, sometimes portraying her with flatfeet, sometimes only fat._

_She stepped forward. And all the other Lindas moved with her, mirroring her movements. She turned; Lindas turned too. She saw but her own face staring back at her, or the skull of her head with nest of dark twisting and twirling hair._

Shhhsss…. daughter…. sshhhsss….time…shhh

_The snakes snarled angrily; Linda started running._

_She moved sideways, upright; she run through and by the images of her. One Linda came running forward, the one followed behind. She turned, spun; she glided over the endless mirror walls, losing a sense of direction, of herself. Who of all hers in the mirrors she was?_

_Lindas had stopped running; they spun around and around, trying to decide where to go, what direction to choose. The images flickered and dashed. They raced all the time faster, around, around, around. Where she was? Who she was?_

_Linda stopped. All Lindas stopped. They looked from, to and through themselves, breathing heavily. Their eyes flickered, similar frowns flawed Lindas' faces. They took a step forward. The images grew bigger; each Linda stretched her other hand forward…reaching for each other, until the fingers of Linda of the House of Mirror and Lindas in the mirrors touched. Linda stepped through the looking glass…_

…and came through the darkness, her feet materializing over the pebbled ground. The darkness surrounded her. The ground continued only for a few meter around her where the light touched it. But the dimmer the light grew, the fainter the ground appeared, until it totally disappeared into the darkness. She had stepped straight into nothingness that only the small piece of ground prevented her to fall into. She turned around when hearing a sound, opening her mouth.

No sound came out. Instead of the Goblin King's head covered with locks of blond wild hair, the Othering appeared from the darkness. A dark scowl marred her face, and she growled in a low voice while approaching her, but her eyes were full of anguish and fear.

Linda stared at herself, raising her chin. The snakes hissed at her sudden movement.

"Give me my life!" she demanded, taking a step forward.

The Othering stopped. "Beware!" she hissed. "You don't know what you are about to do…" she warned.

"Through dangers untold and hardship unnumbered I have fought my way here…" Linda ranted, "beyond the castle of the Goblin City, to take back the life you have stolen."

"Stop!" the Othering screamed, throwing her hands to cover her ears. Her tone vibrated with such anguish that Linda's legs wobbled. She hesitated.

"You'll destroy both of us!" the Othering cried. "If you destroy me, you'll destroy me!" she begged Linda to listen, stepping forward.

Linda blinked, hesitated but kept on quoting the lines, "For my will is as strong as yours…" she continued but her voice was not nearly as convinced as earlier.

Sensing her wavering, the Othering took another step forward. "Linda…" she begged. "I am you! You cannot win yourself! Don't you see that yourself?"

Her eyes crinkled. "See what?" Linda spat. "That surely didn't prevent you from trying to kill me!" she snarled. "Whoever you are, I know you are not me!"

"Listen to me!" the Othering hissed. "Do you think I could have wished you away?" she asked with her eyes flickering and shimmering in desperation. "You did the wish yourself! And if you keep on going, you'll destroy me, which is you. Don't you see I'm not the enemy?"

"And my Kingdom is as great as yours…"

The Othering's voice lowered. "Why do you think the Goblin King allowed you to leave?" she asked. "For kindness? You left your aunt there! At his mercy…"

Linda's expression darkened. Could the other Linda tell the truth? She glanced briefly away, only for the slightest moment. "Linda! You must believe me…" The Othering begged her. "I only want to help you…" she moved closer, and Linda jerked her head, looking back at her.

Sweat dripped down from the Othering's strained face. Her whole body trembled, and something moved behind her eyes so fast Linda almost didn't see it – a shadow. She gasped, breaking the spell the Othering had tried weave on her, seeing through her lies.

Almost amazed, she blurted out, staring into her own dark eyes, "You have no power over me…"

The face of the Othering wavered, and she screamed a sound like a desperate howl, with a voice full of hate. The darkness started to swirl, spiraling faster around Linda and the Othering-Linda, closing on them. Linda felt a cold breeze washing over her, swirling the locks of her hair. She heard the clock starting to play its cold, long and brazen bell.

_Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!_

The wind grew, fluttered her clothes and grasped on the Othering. She cried, raising her hands and reaching toward Linda, screaming, "Noooo! Pity me! I don't want to go back!"

_Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!_

With her watching, the gust dragged the Othering as if she were a leaf, or a feather. Her feet disconnected from the ground, the wind dragged her further away. She screamed one more time and disappeared from her sight.

_ Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!_

The clock struck its thirteenth chime_.  
_


	33. A Dreamer's Heart

Disclaimer: Even now I lack any legal claims to the Labyrinth.

**LEGEND**

**A Dreamer's Heart**

A faint light penetrated her closed eyelids, jarring her slumber and forcing back her consciousness. From a distance she heard chirping of the birds as they sung their shamelessly cheerful melody with a tone that would certainly have awoken even the Sleeping Beauty. Sarah grunted in annoyance, rolling on her side and wrapped the pillow over her head, intending to block the sound out of her mind. She felt like sleeping at least two days in a row, her body ached in places she didn't even know she had muscles.

Inhaling deeply, Sarah wrinkled her nose at the unfamiliar scent of the pillow -- sweet roses, fresh wind, and a tint of forest. It didn't smell something her washing liquids normally scented like. Come to think her bed felt different from the normal, the mattress didn't feel just as flexible, and the springs poked rather hard-edged in her back. And why on earth did her body hurt this much?

With the last question, the memory returned.

She gasped, stiffening, and hurled her eyes open so fast she whimpered at the blinding bright light crowding the room and her sight.

_The castle..._

She tried with her hand the back where the Othering had stabbed her and felt a faint lump, a scar tissue just below the wings of her shoulders. That was also the moment when she realized she no longer wore her blouse but a white nightgown instead. _How peculiar..._ She thought with her eyes in narrow lines and showed the thought in the back of her mind not willing to dwell in the implications of the fact.

She looked around in the room, noticing the pale stonewalls, the gently swaying curtains that permitted the bring sunshine to enter the room in where she had awoken.

Her expression softened when she recognized a red-capped head against the mattress with his head buried behind his arms. The person snored with a loud voice, apparently unaffected by the uncomfortable position into which he had fallen asleep.

Careful not to wake the little man, Sarah crawled out of her bed, placing her bare feet on the cold floor and tiptoed across the room to the window. She leaned on her hands, looking out.

The light played, glittered and gleamed on the stones, the buildings and the trees she saw far below her. Everything shimmered and shone like renewed, the bright blossoms beneath her windowsill dispersed fantastic smell around, the birds chirped and sung loudly. Sarah smiled when seeing a group of hairy goblins dashing through the courtyard after a herd of hens.

"Once a goblin, always a goblin…" she muttered. Glancing at her side, she noticed a set of clothes on the chair. They weren't hers, but they fit like made for her. Silently, she dressed up, caressing with her hands the fine shimmering fabric of her dress and wondering what had made the Goblin King to grant her such exclusive set of cloths. Based on her encounters with the King during the run through the Labyrinth, the least Sarah would have expected this from him.

_I've been generous…but I can be cruel…_

She sneaked from the room before Hoggle woke up.

Her steps took her through the castle and its inhabitants, and she couldn't but wonder the change she noticed in the goblins. Last time she saw them, they had been full of malice and contempt, ridiculing her, but now the goblins reminded Sarah more of mischievous kids. They didn't appear to mind her walking around, and a few clashed to her legs while running through the corridors cackling and giggling like a herd of playful monkeys. The pace of her steps slowed down as she realized she was approaching the throne room. She shivered as she saw the closed doors in front of her with a huge stone lion standing on guard next to entrance. The lion's jaw hung open, revealing gleaming row of black teeth. Certain, it would lead her to the throne room, she approached the door, stretching her hand.

"Lady."

She jumped when she heard a dark, rumbling voice to speak up. Startled, Sarah stared at the stone lion who turned his head with a lout screech. A sphinx!

She back-stepped her heart trembling nervously in her chest. Would the beast try to eat her?

Its obelisk-like dark eyes flickered, and Sarah got a vague impression the sphinx was amused for some reason. "Only those answering the riddle may enter…" the monster's voice, however, remained flat and expressionless.

"Oh?" She licked her lip, relieved that her voice didn't waver. "And may I ask what shall be the consequence if not being able to solve it?"

The beast snuggled its snout closer, and Sarah half-expected to hear a blood-lust threat. He kept a dramatic pause and answered then, "Not entering."

She blinked. "Well, may I hear the riddle in that case?" she politely asked, and her jaw nearly fell down on her chest when she recognized the riddle about a dead man in the library. What a funny riddle to ask! The beast's eyes gleamed oddly as he finished the riddle, "…the professor told the police to arrest the laundry man. Why didn't he arrest the other three?"

"You're seriously asking that from me?" she repeated for a confirmation, and the beast snarled in anger.

"Do you perhaps find the question funny, human?"

Deciding not to mention it had been she who originally told the tale, Sarah only sighed. "No…and before you ask, the professor told the police to arrest the laundry man because post is not delivered on Sundays."

The beast eyes flashed, he swooshed his tail and took a step closer. The whole floor trembled with him approaching her, and, panicking, Sarah started to retreat.

"But you told I would be allowed to enter!" she cried softly, almost falling on her knees.

The beast stopped, shaking its head. "Yes, yes…But before that I want to know something else…" he growled.

"Which is?" Sarah staggered up and regarded the beast doubtingly, unsure if she could trust in him. "You're not being very convincing at the moment, you know…"she muttered.

"I will allow you in! You answered to the riddle!" he snarled, clearly annoyed by the situation. "I only want to know what is a car," he grunted through her teeth, and Sarah stared at the beast unable to believe she had heard the question right. Apparently she had. The beast didn't appear to move anywhere before she fulfilled his request. Sighing, she shook her head and answered.

The throne room appeared silent when Sarah entered there. She glanced around her, wondering the tidiness, the order and lack of garbage. She saw nowhere goblins, and, realizing this, her mouth quivered slightly. It appeared that having a sphinx as a doorman had its advantages…

Sarah's eyes fixed on the tall figure with ruffled white poet's shirt that exposed his lean chest and gleaming medallion. His hair cascaded wildly around his face, shining as if possessed by some sort of inner glow. The King leaned against the wall, inspecting her with veiled gaze, and Sarah gulped down a lump that had stuck in her throat, returning the gaze.

A brief smile tugged in the corner of his mouth, and he pulled himself upright. "Hello Sarah," the Goblin King greeted her softly.

She lifted her chin. "Goblin King."

"Why so formal?" the King tutted at her, slowly swaggering closer."I thought we were already pass formalities…"

"Well, excuse me!" Sarah hissed, taking a step back.

He stopped, tilting his head. "Apology accepted," the King replied at last with his eyes shimmering and gleaming with amusement.

"What?" Sarah let out outraged cry, staring at the King unbelieving her ears. The nerve! "How dare you!" she hissed, closing the distance between them and pointed at the King accusingly with her finger. "It is you who should apologize!" she spat, trembling in anger. "For forcing me to go through all that…" she struggled to find correct words and gave up, continuing, "For making my niece a monster, for allowing my companion to die, forcing the other one to betray me! You made me to kill small kids! An attempt on my life was done at least twice! And you dare to say you accept my apology!"

His eyes narrowed for a split second, and an angry expression crossed his face. Then his shoulders relaxed, and he took in a deep breath.

"Thrice," he corrected gently.

"What?" Sarah spat.

He sighed. "There were three attempts. Or four, if you can count me as one."

Lost with words, Sarah staggered further from the King. "You wanted to kill me…?" she repeated hoarsely.

Momentarily, he looked pained. "As it stands now, Sarah…" the Goblin King answered at last. "I was on the verge of committing something stupid." He lifted his hand as if to caress her hair, but Sarah quickly backed from his outstretched hand.

"Don't touch me!" she hissed.

His shoulders sagged, and he, curiously, obeyed. "Come," the King signaled her to follow while turning on his heels and walking to the outer wall of the throne room where a line of windows revealed the magnificent view over the Labyrinth and the Goblin City. Faltering, she finally followed him.

The King kept his gaze in the distance, and the wind caressed the locks of his hair. "You know, Sarah, how close I came in losing all that we now see?" he asked without looking at her. "And all because of my own actions…" He sighed again, and Sarah listened to him wondering the odd seriousness in his voice. "I did something very rash and stupid after you defeated me, years ago," Jareth told quietly, turning to her, and the look in his eyes send cold shivers down her spine. "I would have never believed that a mortal girl could beat me. The least I thought it could be you. Yet in the end, there you stood in front of me in the Escher Room, confided in your own abilities and faith. And only then I realized you were about to utter those dreadful words and condemn me forever out of your life."

She couldn't breathe, staring into his curious eyes.

"But proud and arrogant as I was, I couldn't accept the truth…" he continued. "I returned back to my duties, swearing I would forget you eventually." He turned back toward the view of the Labyrinth. "I was wrong. So very wrong… I noticed soon that I had lied to myself, that I hoped nothing more that you would have accepted that crystal when we had our last confrontation…" He chortled dryly. "I truly was such a fool…"

"Why?" Sarah asked with a small voice almost afraid to speak, and the King glanced at her. A sad smile manifested on his face, and vanished.

"I offered you my heart."

"Your heart?" she gasped, flinging her hand to cover her mouth in the instant, ashamed, still angry and… flustered.

"I had never been rejected; I couldn't believe it true…" Jareth pondered, lifting his hand to rub the skin on his chest. "So, with my pained heart, I turned to my other self, making myself to believe I would be stronger than the King of the Mirrorland. But it quickly came quite clear I was wrong…once again." He sounded almost amused. "He instructed me to get rid of my heart if it was causing me such pains, and, meekly and unwisely, I accepted the advice whilst forgetting that I would then give up all my dreams."

He shook his head. "Which was his intention in the end, I now see."

Sarah shook her head. "I don't understand! What did you do? You gave your heart to him instead?"

"Oh, Sarah, Sarah…" the King let out an amused laughter. "Not quite, my dear. To say it prosaic, I ripped it out of my chest and buried into the place of the abandoned dreams." He paused, thinking. "Which started the change, for without a heart I couldn't feel the pain but just as little I felt joy. And I came obsessed by revenge, darkness and hate for all that was alive. I never realized that I would become like them…the shadows. The mirrorbeast. The Otherings."

"You…? You turned evil?" Sarah stuttered.

"Sarah, I never was good in the sense you refer to. Being good or evil is of little importance for my kin. I simply am the Goblin King. What matters is the balance. My task is to take care of my responsibilities and maintain the equilibrium between yours and my world." He fleetingly smiled at her.

"But you broke it…" she muttered softly.

His shoulders tensed and relaxed. "Yes," the King admitted. "With my own actions I came close to lose all that I had created…But I was pass the point of caring. I only wanted not to feel again. However, there was a flaw in my masterpiece. I had ripped of my heart, but it still lived, beating steadily dreams of and about you who, on the other hand, were very much alive. And as long as my heart existed, I could not totally be turned."

"You used Linda to get me back…" Sarah quietly completed.

"I'm not proud about it," Jareth replied, turning to face her. "I'm not proud about any of my actions or deeds. I did unspeakable things to you, your niece and my own subjects, whom I was supposed to protect."

Sarah shook her head, not quite understanding. "But you…what happened? I thought I died, didn't I?"

"Two very fearful travel companions of yours met and combined the remnants of their courage…"

"Hoggle and the wolf?" Sarah gasped.

The Goblin King chuckled."It amazes me every time how you succeed to transform such despicable creatures so courageous…You should thank them for your life. Just as much I am in their debts, their actions also saved you…"

"I lost, didn't I?" Sarah asked with a sudden certainty. "You wouldn't have been able to return me back to life unless the clock struck thirteen."

His expression turned heartbreakingly remorseful, and he leaned closer to her. "Yes, Sarah. This time you lost," he looked her into her eyes, whispering, "But you won your life…"

"And Linda?" Sarah demanded him to answer, not allowing his proximity to affect her.

"I rather think she has inherited something from her aunt. Linda reached the castle. She solved the last maze and gained back her life. She is free," the King replied softly

"But I'm not," Sarah said quietly, swallowing down the bitter taste that appeared in her mouth. "In the end, it appears you succeeded, your Majesty!" she spat, staring at the King with contempt and hate. "How could you…?"

"I'm sorry, Sarah… I truly am…" Jareth answered solemnly.

"Your sorries do little good!" she hissed, turning her back on the King. "You've destroyed my life!"

Unable to stay in his presence any longer, she ravaged through the throne room at the doors. She froze when the King reached her. He pushed his gloved hand against the surface of the door, shutting it before she succeeded to pull it open.

"Let me go!" she cried, leaning her head against the wood, unable to prevent her tears. "Let me keep even that amount of dignity…"

"Sarah," he sounded troubled, speaking behind her. "I want to you to understand…I'm not keeping you here against your will."

She froze, straightening her back. "You would allow me to go?" Sarah asked with a choked voice, staring in the door's surface. "Return back to my world…?"

"I can't. Unless you truly want to die, I can't," Jareth sighed.

"Can't or won't?" Sarah turned slowly around, looking at the King, and his face wavered at the question.

"A little bit of both, I guess…" he finally answered. "I don't wish for you to die, and I don't wish to see you beaten and broken. But there are laws even the kings have to obey, and I'm not exception to that."

"And you would doom me into this life?" Sarah sniffed, wiping her face and lowering her face. "Live forever unchanged, chained to the Underground, to the Labyrinth…The great Lady Sarah. Weary and obsolete in the land of forever…" She shook her head gloomily.

His touch on her chin immobilized her, and gently Jareth lifted her face. "Not quite… Obsolete, never. And definitely not unchanged, Sarah..." he told softly whilst, caressing her cheek, and she shivered at the touch, the look in his eyes. "Changed to remain unchanged, perhaps."

"You're making fun out of me! Isn't anything enough for you?" she choked.

"You don't see yourself the way I do," Jareth sighed, releasing her and stepping further, nodding at his side. "Look at you, and you understand…" he suggested, and trembling, cautious and scared, she finally obeyed.

Golden framed mirror with demon heads, playful nymphs and unicorns adorning the item hung from the wall. It reflected Sarah the throne room, the wall with multiple windows and the fae king standing next to her. His blond head contrasted sharply against her dark hair, and her long dress shimmered in the bright light.

Sarah gasped, taking a careful step forward and lifted her hands on her face. "I'm different…" Sarah muttered, unable to believe the sight the mirror showed her. "I don't look like me…" She turned to the Goblin King. "What have you done? This is not me!"

"On the contrary," the King replied, taking a step closer. "This is you, or were you." His gaze remained intensive as he slowly told her. "I gave you back your youth…"

She stared at him with her mouth open but unable to speak aloud. She shook her head. "So that you can use that against me? I see through your games, Goblin King!" Sarah asked spitefully, pulling back.

"Hard-headed woman!" Jareth cursed under his breath, closing the space between them before she had time to react and grasped her on the shoulders. "Why must it always be fight with you?" he hissed through his teeth. "I told you already there are rules even I must abide. When it comes to dreamers, something is given up but something is also given in return!" He leaned closer to the Sarah, who couldn't but stare at him wide-eyed, trembling from all these emotions running through her.

"You might have lost your run, but I gave you your dreams," Jareth told "That was your dream, Sarah. To be young again." His mouth hovered only inches from her, and his eyes had an unfamiliar glint. "And not even I can take dreams when they once are given."

"But why?" Sarah whispered with a choke, blinking her eyes, not understanding the volatile Goblin King. "Why are you doing this...? Why to bother?"

"Because..." His voice came out as a husky whisper. He bent slowly closer, and Sarah found herself powerless to escape him, deny from him the touches of his hands that caressed the skin on her neck so gently. She shivered when his lips brushed softly hers, barely touching Sarah's mouth

He pulled back, watching her carefully. Her cheek burned as she returned his stare speechless, and something hungry, almost desperate flickered in his gaze. His hands slid down from her shoulders, wrapped around her waist, and the King pulled her close. Sarah's heartbeats accelerated, she still couldn't voice out a word as she watched him to bent closer with his jaw set, his eyes glimmering darkly. Jareth halted with his face only inches from her mouth, breathing out loud. "You still have my heart, Sarah."

And, then, he kissed her.


	34. Epilogue: The Eumenides

A/N: I knew the previous chapter was supposed to be the LAST chapter. Ah, well, I kind of wrote this epilogue before I noticed -- even before the last chapter actually. I couldn't help it, it just leaped on the screen. I felt I had to wrap things up and give a decent ending to poor Linda, whom I treated quite harshly during her run. What happens afterwards is up to your imagination. I shall resume back to my other stories and hopefully finish them in the near future. I have enjoyed a great deal writing the story and hope it has also provided amusement and entertainment to you! And once again, thank you all for your comments!

Disclaimer: I make no money with the story, I don't own the characters, I don't own the rights to the movie. All in all: I don't have any legal claims to the Labyrinth. All references to Aeschylus' Oresteia, also some parts of Furies' speech, are adapted from the translation of Robert Fangles, Penguin Books. (If you are a diehard fan of Greek literature, I strongly suggest to read it!)

**Epilogue: The Eumenides**

Blinking her eyes madly, Linda realized she was staring at the image, and, with a gasp, raised her trembling hand on her temples. Her shoulders sagged in relief when her fingers touched normal hair; she no longer felt coiling snakes or heard their hissing whispers. She looked around in the room, avoid of shadows and goblins. She saw nothing special. Had it all been just a dream? She returned her attention to the mirror.

A frightened cry escaped her lips.

"You!"

Dressed in glimmering cape of midnight blue, dark breeches and black boots the Goblin King stood on the other side.

"Hello Linda."

"What do you want? Why are you here?" she spat, retreating slowly away from him.

He tilted his head, his gaze concealed and dimmed by the light the mirror reflected in Linda's eyes. The girl watched him a long time, imagining seeing a hint of sadness flickering in his eyes. Then a small a warped smile twitched his lips, and he held out his hand.

"I brought you a gift…"

Linda quickly back-stepped as she saw a transparent crystal to manifest on his fingertips. "As an apology," the King continued. "What I did was unacceptable. I shouldn't have given you to the sisters, or forced you into my Labyrinth." His smile turned to sadness.

She folded her arms across her chest, creasing her brows. "Why did you do it then?"

His eyes flashed, his jaw tightened. "For reasons that are not good enough to mention. I did a terrible mistake,"said the King slowly and offered the crystal to the girl again. "Linda, take this. It is not enough to compensate all that which I put you through, but I hope it forfeits at least something."

She licked her lip, asking bitterly, still not accepting the gift. "And what about my aunt? She's dead because of you!"

His face wavered, and he sighed. "I'm not denying that I...did many awful things. But as I told, everything's not lost. She's not dead, so to speak." He attempted a smile.

"But she's not coming back? Whatever happens, she'll remain forever in the Labyrinth, am I right?" Linda asked softly.

"I'm sorry Linda… There was no other way to revert the Othering's deed." He closed his eyes with a painful expression on his face. "And at the moment she's not very happy with me either. I live in hope she might find some remorse in her heart for me."

"What do I tell dad? Her absence must create a lot of questions…Dad will miss her," she muttered suddenly.

"Ah," the King coughed somewhat uncomfortably. "The thing is that no one shall remember her but you. It will be as if she never existed."

The thought was too unbelievable to process. Her mouth fell down, and she stared at the fae in shock. "What?! But how about her career? Her friends? Her family?"

"Never existed," Jareth answered. "Everything the world learnt about Sarah Williams has gone. Maybe someone remembers her like a fleeting memory, a shadow tickling at the edges of consciousness, a dream of sort: a girl, a woman with dark long hair and a fiery passion. "

"But… That's cruel!" Linda exclaimed. "How can you do it?"

"Would it be better if people remembered her instead, wondered about her disappearance? Her brother would be devastated, thinking every night about possibilities that might have happened to Sarah," Jareth snapped. "Trust me. If something is cruel, then that is!"

"And my career?" Linda wondered quietly. "Sarah was there to take me under her wings, to show me all the people, create the networks…"

His mouth bent in a small smile, "Ah, the change taking place in the Runner never ceases to amaze me…" he muttered softly before returning his attention on her. "You shouldn't worry, Linda. Everything you've achieved shall be just the way you left there. As it stands, it's your own responsibility to decide what to do afterwards."

"What about Cobweb? And the Furies?" she asked instead.

"The Furies…." He hesitated. "They are under supervision."

"So that when need arises, you can utilize them again?" Linda bitterly accused.

"Whatever you think of me," Jareth clasped his teeth together, pulling back his shoulders. "I won't penalize them for my mistakes. I made the decision to use their vulnerability, and if I punish someone for which I am to blame what would I have learnt?" He didn't give her time to reply but continued, "And when it comes to your talkative and rather annoying fairy-friend, she has returned back to her nest though I suspect she won't stay there for too long time. The run also changes people of the Underground…"

"The other fairies kill her without her wings! She told me so!"

"You thought I would leave her wingless?" Jareth tutted with a familiar goblin king-like attitude. "What is a fairy that cannot fly…?"

"And the other…H-ho…?"

"Higgle?" He cocked his brow, looking at her down on his long nose.

"Hoggle," Linda corrected, absentminded, and his mouth quavered. Something akin to amusement crossed his face.

"Yeah, the dwarf," Linda continued, wondering the King's reaction. "What happened to him?"

"I guess you have to ask that from himself, or your aunt, if you wish that is…"

"I can still talk to her?" Linda cried barely able to sustain her joy.

"I could not prevent that even if I tried," Jareth told. "The mirror is charmed." He waved his hands around him, pointing to the frames of the vanity's mirror. "You just need to call for your friends, and they shall arrive. The portal opened a long time ago, and I suspect shall remain open long time afterwards." He gestured nonchalantly.

She bit her lip, shifting her attention to her feet. "I...remember now," she confessed, "meeting you as a child." Looking up, she noticed the King inspected her in silence with his forehead creased in steep furrows. "It is because of Sarah, isn't it so? She solved the Labyrinth before me, and the mirror opened it for her. Am I right?" she inquired.

He hesitated. "She never used it but one single time, right after her victory. She used none of the gifts she was bestowed with..."

"And the crystal?" Wary, Linda glanced at the glimmering crystal the man still had in his hand.

His smile appeared only a slightly more crooked this time. "As told, it's my gift to you. Something with what I hope to secure you that I wish no harm to you or your family. An apology I sincerely ask you to accept…"

The crystal vanished only to appear on her desk, and the Goblin King bowed one final time. "Use it or not. It shall wait for your acceptance."

"And what does it bring to me? Show me my dreams?" Linda asked quietly.

His gaze flickered, his grin stretched over his face. "No. Something better…" He smiled with a small twinkle in his eyes. "I have to leave now, but I bid you all the best in your life. Farewell, young Linda Williams."

With that he disappeared from her sight, and only Linda's reflection mirrored her expression. The girl inspected the image little hesitant, still waiting for it to move on its own accord. It mirrored her just as always without any malicious gleam or falsities in its face. Linda sighed, taking another step backwards, and only after having enough distance from the mirror dared to turn around.

She slowly approached the crystal, lacking the nerve to touch it and glanced out the window. After a while, she opened it. The rain had ceased; the world smelled of water, wind, and high above the clouds started to break revealing a clear starlit sky.

"Sarah…" Linda said quietly, watching the stars; and they twinkled and glittered in reply. "I hope you shall be happy, Sarah, but I sure wish I could now talk to you…"

"Hi Linda." She spun around, blinking her eyes at the image that had appeared in the mirror. Linda's eyes narrowed. "Sarah?" she asked dubiously.

The girl, barely older than Linda, smiled apolitically, caressing her dark hair in unease. "I guess I must look bit funny…"

"No…" She shook her head, stepping closer. "You look great, aunt. I was just… surprised."

Sarah looked at least thirty years younger. Her dark hair curled softly around her face, and her skin was unblemished. All the furrows around her mouth, the fine network of lines surrounding her eyes had disappeared. She reminded Linda of the photos she had seen when Sarah had only been in the beginning of her career and the magazines talked about nothing but the young rising star, Sarah Williams, who had her mother's charm, beauty and a dreamy gaze that drove the men mad. Yet Sarah in the mirror looked slightly different with wild and magical air around her. She wore dark red gown that hung on her body, adorned with a clever cleavage, gold-threaded bodice and elbow-long flaring sleeves and white lace bursting beneath the dark crimson fabric. Sarah giggled girlish, touching her hair. "I kind of like the change too." Her expression turned serious, she lowered her arm and looked at Linda. "Jareth told me he spoke with you…"

"Yeah," Linda muttered, nodding sideways to the desk and the gleaming crystal. "He also gave me that." She hesitated. "He acts differently," Linda finally said. "What happened to him?"

Sarah's eyes flickered, her forehead marred. "It's a long story, and I rather not tell it now. I still have to think over all that I heard from him and my friends…."

"I think he's in love with you," Linda said softly. "He looked like ready to die when telling me the Othering killed you."

Sarah snorted. "So he claims." Her expression turned slightly sour, and she crossed her arms on her chest. "Albeit I have a lot to ponder about until I'm ready to believe in him…He's acted like a total jerk."

Linda's eyes narrowed. "You're serious?" she gasped in shock. "You actually feel something for that…monster!"

She smiled rather sheepishly and blushed. "Did it never occur to you why I din't get involved in serious relationships, or married?" Sarah finally asked. "I met him when I was only fifteen years old, and he was…very seducing: dangerous, sexy, little bit intimidating. You could say he kind of ruined my taste in men. After dancing with him and having him to sing to me no other could truly mean anything…" She glanced around, musing. "'He'd better not hear this, or he starts boasting like he owned the whole world."

"So it was true," Linda muttered. "The king of the goblins was in love with the girl…"

Sarah sharply glanced at her and then let out an edgy laught. "I guess so…" she agreed. "Though God knows what in me enraptured him. I was nothing but a spoiled brat at the time." She paused. "I wished your father to the goblins, you know?"

Linda attempted a smiled. "I kind of figured that out," she confessed.

"I'm sorry about that," Sarah quietly said. "I have carried the burden of that act ever since. I almost lost Toby…" she sighed.

"Almost," Linda softly repeated, taking a step closer and placed her hands on the mirror's surface. She leaned her head on the glass, feeling the coldness against her skin, and whispered, "But you didn't, and we're still here."

The other woman tried smiling, but didn't quite succeed. "This is awkward." Sarah fidgeted with the hem of her white laced sleeves, blinking her tear-soaked eyes. "I will miss you all so much!" Her voice wavered, and she pursed her mouth tightly shut, banishing the rueful gleam in her eyes. "I don't want to give up all that I had! But I would die otherwise. The only way he could resurrect me was letting me to lose. I'm now part of his kingdom."

"That's hardly fair…" Linda's voice stuck in her throat, and Sarah's shoulders sagged.

"No," quietly, she agreed. "But he gave me my freedom; I don't have to stay with him. The Goblin King won't prevent me from leaving the Labyrinth…" Her eyes turned dreamy, and she looked through Linda like seeing something Linda couldn't see. "And there's so much to see: kingdoms across the wasteland, depthless seas that reach the stars if you travel far enough..." her voiced died, and Linda stared at her with a stabbing longing piercing her heart.

"Would you leave him?" she asked softly, and Sarah sighed. Thoughtfully, she evened the fabric of her dress.

"I..." she bit her lip, "Despite everything, I still have feelings for him," Sarah slowly replied, gazing at her as if begging her to understand. "But I need time. I need distance...for time being at least. Hoggle has promised to accompany me, and we'll leave the castle to look for our friends. And after that…" She shrugged her shoulders.

"So, I won't be seeing you then?" Linda asked with strangled voice.

"Oh, my darling," Sarah smiled but her lips trembled. "Of course we'll see! The mirror works always; just say the words. I hear you wherever I am, and I'll be with you sooner you'll realize. You're still so young, and you have all your life ahead. But I shall always be here for you should you need me."

Linda blinked, feeling the moistness in her eyes. "But I need you, aunt!" she sobbed, wiping the tears that started to run down her cheeks. "It's so wrong! He shouldn't be able to steal you from us. Dad won't make it, you've always been his backbone, and with mom getting weaker every passing day …"

"I know honey…I know." She regarded her sadly and lifted her palm on the other side, placing it against Linda's hand. "Just have some faith in yourself." She sighed, looking back. "I need to go soon."

Devastated, she nodded, lowering her hand. Sarah inspected her in silence. "Don't worry anymore, Linda. I'm certain things will work out fine."

"What'd you mean?"

She bit her lip, hesitating. "I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."

Linda turned to look at the glimmering crystal. "You know what he wants to give me," she stated, and Sarah grinned.

"You presume a lot," she reprimanded gently. "It's not my task to tell."

Linda regarded her silently and slowly nodded. "I see…" she muttered.

"I'm sorry," Sarah sighed. "I would like to give you a hint but I promised not to…." She took a step back with eyes fixed on her niece. "Just remember, should you need me…"

She nodded, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I'll call you."

"Atta girl!" Sarah grinned despite she too was crying. "I love you, Linda! I love you so much! Don't ever forget that!" Turning her back on Linda, she started to walk away, and, desolately, the girl kept her gaze on the back of Sarah, following as she got smaller and smaller until Sarah finally disappeared from her sight.

"I love you too, aunt…" she whispered, turning away and wiping her face.

Cautiously, she approached the desk, staring at the crystal and reaching out her hand. The crystal felt cool and smooth, and she twirled the ball in her hands thoughtfully, wondering what it was supposed to give her. Her dreams? New career? Suddenly, it trembled and started to shrink. Letting out a scream, she nearly dropped the crystal and froze, staring at the white round pill resting on her palm.

She jerked up her head, imagining to hear the King's word echoing in the room once more.

_"No. Something better…."_

Linda's expression brightened. Hastily, she spun on her heels while grasping the tablet tightly in her grasp, and sprinted to run.

"Mom!" she cried, running out of the room and leaving the door wide open. The wind blowing through the window banged it shut after her but her words could still be heard. "I have your medication! Mom!"

A lone owl sitting on the bough of a near-by tree blinked her blue eyes. She sat still for a while, staring into the empty room she remembered guarding so many years. The bird tilted her head, almost sighing, and rested on the branch with a peaceful air lingering about her. Finally, she moved. The owl ruffled her feathers and her wings, casting away her reveries, and, then, quietly took off in the night. Beating the air with her shimmering wings, the owl glided across the sky towards the silvery moon behind the scattered and wisp-like clouds, flying back to the world it belonged, never looking back.

**THE END**


End file.
